Our Joint Trust Board
The purpose of the Trust Board is to govern effectively and in doing so build patient, public and stakeholder confidence that their health and healthcare is in safe hands.
George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust (GEH) and South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT) are part of the ‘Foundation Group’ a partnership with Wye Valley NHS Trust (WVT) and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust (WAHT).
All four organisations face similar challenges and have a common strategic vision for how these can be solved. The Foundation Group model retains the identity of each individual trust whilst strengthening the opportunities available to secure a sustainable future for local health services. Since October 2025, GEH and SWFT have shared a Joint Board which has been established as a statutory joint Committee of the Boards of the two Trusts. The Chief Nursing Officer will be a statutory position on the joint Board.
The Foundation Group model has proven beneficial for all the partner organisations and has been highlighted as best practice within national NHS guidance. There are numerous benefits for local communities across Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire including the provision of a wider platform to share best practice and improving whole system patient pathways. The four organisations (SWFT, WVT, GEH and WAHT) all share a Chief Executive, Sir Glen Burley.
The role of the Board
This fundamental accountability to the public and stakeholders is delivered by building confidence:
- In the quality and safety of health services
- That resources are invested in a way that delivers optimal health outcomes
- In the accessibility and responsiveness of health services
- That patients and the public can help to shape health services to meet their needs
- That public money is spent in a way that is fair, efficient, effective and economic
The Board should demonstrate leadership by undertaking three key roles:
- Formulating strategy for the organisation
- Ensuring accountability by:
- Holding the organisation to account for the delivery of the strategy
- By being accountable for ensuring the organisation operates effectively and with openness, transparency and candour and by seeking assurance that systems of control are robust and reliable.
- Shaping a healthy culture for the Board and the organisation.
Meet the Board
