Publish date: 13 November 2025
Northumbria Healthcare being considered for new advanced foundation trust status
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has announced that Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is among the first wave of trusts eligible to become 'advanced foundation trusts'.
This is a key part of the 10 Year Health Plan, published in July, and NHS England has nominated 8 trusts to become the first advanced foundation trusts, based on their record of delivering quality care, strong finances and effective partnerships with staff and local services.
Becoming an advanced foundation trust would offer Northumbria Healthcare greater freedoms and flexibilities around how it works with local communities and how it spends its money for the benefit of patients locally.
These changes would ensure more decisions are made locally that are right for the people the trust serves and help build relationships and systems that more closely reflect local priorities in Northumberland and North Tyneside.
At the same time, it will set the trust up to accelerate progress against the 3 shifts set out in the 10-year plan – from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, from sickness to prevention.
Birju Bartoli, chief executive of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Being named as one of the first wave of organisations being considered for Advanced Foundation Trust status is a real testament to all the hard work we’ve put in over many years.
"We’re proud of the performance our teams have achieved, often in very difficult circumstances, to provide very high-quality care to local communities while also delivering value for money.
"This is also based on very strong local leadership and a commitment to working closely with our partners in Northumberland and North Tyneside who play a huge part in the success of health and care services.
"This new status would give us greater freedom and flexibility to provide better services, invest more money into the local system and deliver against the three big shifts set out in the 10-year plan."