Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust has received official backing from Health Secretary Alan Johnson for its latest application to gain foundation status.

Four years ago the trust had its foundation trust bid turned down because of a financial technicality.
But this time the chances are looking stronger.

Foundation status gives local health bodies a much greater say in how money is spent. Supporters of the initiative say it cuts bureaucracy and delays but opponents call it form of NHS privatisation.

The trust received formal notification of Mr Johnson's support from David Flory, director general of NHS finance, performance and operations for the Department of Health.

He said: "This is a major achievement and recognises the hard work and effort you and your team have put into the process to date."

An internal memo from trust chief executive Andrew Foster, obtained by the Wigan Evening Post, said: "This is fantastic news for the trust and clearly demonstrates the significant progress we have all made. I'd like to take the opportunity to personally thank everyone for their contribution to helping us achieve this important milestone."

The next stage of the process takes the form of an assessment by Monitor, the foundation trust independent regulator.

Monitor will spend time with the trust over the coming months carrying out assessments which will involve meeting a broad range of staff.

Some 9,000 members have already been signed up for the trust comprising staff and members of the public who, if foundation status is attained, would nominate governors to act on behalf of the members.

One vital component of successfully applying is to have a robust five-year business plan.

Mr Foster added: "We have made excellent progress to reach this stage and it will require a continued focus on high quality patient care along with achieving our other business objectives to ensure we reach our foundation trust goal in due course."