Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Trust has just become the first NHS trust in the county to achieve Foundation status. From today (1 October 2007) it will now be know as Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

Local people will now have more say in the future development of specialist mental health, drug and alcohol and learning disability services in the county.

Lincolnshire residents have been elected to the Trust’s new Board of Governors, and will play a key role in influencing how the Trust is run for the good of local communities.

The change of status will also help give the Trust greater financial stability, with three year contracts for most of the services it provides. At present most NHS services are commissioned on an annual basis, making it hard for care providers to plan ahead.

Alison Healey, the Trust’s Chairman said: “This is excellent news for Lincolnshire and we are delighted. Only the very best NHS organisations become Foundation Trusts and we have proved that we can be second-to-none.

"We have gone through a rigorous authorisation process and our success is a real testament to all the hard work, dedication and commitment of our staff. My thanks go to them and also to our partners who have helped in this application.

“Almost 5,000 Lincolnshire residents - including people who use our services -have chosen to become Foundation Trust members, signalling they want to be more informed about and involved with their local health services.

“We now look forward to entering the next exciting phase of our development as a Foundation Trust and to welcoming many more members onboard.”