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Hospital Trusts (Essex)

I hear what my hon. Friend says, but I am afraid that I disagree with him. If he speaks to chief executives and the senior leadership in any foundation trust in the country, he will find that the most helpful process they have been through is the process of applying for foundation trust status, as that gives them information about their organisations that they did not have before. The process has led to rising standards across the health service. While we cannot be complacent and we want to improve standards in foundation trusts where we need to do so, in many cases this reform has led hospital trusts to raise their game and improve what they do for local people.