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For the first time, board members of NHS Trusts seeking foundation trust status will be asked to make a declaration confirming that they have provided all relevant information to Monitor in the course of the assessment process.

The health sector regulator is asking boards of applicant trusts to make the assurance in a letter of representation before the trust can be considered for foundation trust status.

New guidance for applicant trusts, issued by Monitor yesterday, also allows the regulator to require applicant trusts to commission an external review into service performance or governance arrangements where the trust has not presented enough evidence to meet the authorisation criteria.

Monitor's Executive Director of Assessment, Miranda Carter, said:

"We are implementing these changes following the recommendations from our review of lessons learnt from Morecambe Bay. We have always expected that applicants interact with Monitor in an open and transparent way. The inclusion of a letter of representation will mean that applicants will have to actively confirm that they have provided all relevant information to us as part of the assessment process. If Monitor subsequently discovers through its regulatory process that a board has not upheld the declaration then we would have cause to question the trust."

Notes to editors

• For more information please contact Isabella Sharp on Isabella.sharp@monitor-nhsft.gov.uk or 020 7340 2442
• The updated Guide to Monitor's Assessment Process can be found here.
• The summary of responses from Monitor’s consultation on the Guide for Applicants can be found here.
• Monitor authorises and regulates NHS foundation trusts ensuring they are well-managed and financially viable in order to deliver high quality healthcare for patients. More information about our authorisation process can be found here.
• Monitor is the sector regulator of NHS-funded healthcare services. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 its fundamental duty is to protect and promote the interests of people who use them. Information about Monitor’s new role can be found here.