My honourable friend the Minister of State (Andy Burnham) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

The chairman of Monitor (the statutory name of which is the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts) announced last week that, in accordance with Section 35 of the National Health Service Act 2006, Monitor had decided to authorise the following NHS acute trusts as NHS foundation trusts from 1 June:

Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Trust; and

West Dorset General Hospitals NHS Trust.

Monitor's announcement brings the total number of NHS foundation trusts to 67. A copy of Monitor's press notice has been placed in the Library.

The Government remain committed to offering all NHS acute and mental health trusts the opportunity to apply for foundation status as soon as practicable. Monitor is now authorising trusts on a monthly basis, and further waves of NHS foundation trusts are set to follow.