John McDonnell
Health questions: Foundation hospitals
Mr. John Redwood (Wokingham): I welcome the Secretary of State saying that he wants to encourage the widest possible membership of foundation hospitals. In that spirit, will he consider extending membership to all people on the electoral roll in the relevant area? If he does not want to go that far, will he tell the House what active measures he will take to promote wide membership, which many of us would welcome?
Mr. Milburn: The right hon. Gentleman makes a fair point. It is important that the membership of NHS foundation trusts is as large as possible, representing the local community. There are a number of options, and one is to achieve that through advertising in the local media, which would encourage local people to become members. Alternative options include allowing people to register to become a member of an NHS foundation trust when they register, for example, to vote in a local election.
