The 10 Year Health Plan aims to give power back to frontline NHS leaders through a reinvigorated and reinvented rules-based foundation trust model that will re-empower provider boards to make decisions locally and improve services for patients and communities.

Advanced foundation trust status is a marker of excellence for providers who drive the delivery of the three shifts, bring down waiting lists and work with partners to improve population health.

Both NHS trusts and foundation trusts are eligible for advanced foundation trust status. Those who pass our assessment will benefit from greater strategic and operational autonomy, recognising their high capability and empowering their leaders to drive accelerated change and improvement on behalf of their patients and staff.

Organisations achieving advanced foundation trust status have shown they are delivering the public’s priorities and value for money, as measured by the NHS Oversight Framework, and that they are providing high quality care to patients as measured by Care Quality Commission (CQC) ratings and the quality domains within the NHS Oversight Framework.

Information about the NHS trusts and foundation trusts who currently hold advanced foundation trust status can be found in the advanced foundation trust directory.

Advanced foundation trusts also have the opportunity to be designated as eligible to hold an integrated health organisation (IHO) contract to oversee the health budget for a defined local population. This requires an additional assessment of capability and readiness.

Two organisations, Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, are currently undergoing additional assessment for designation to be eligible to hold an IHO contract. Organisations designated as IHOs in 2026 will work with NHS England and their commissioners to co-develop the model during 2026/27. We anticipate the first IHO models will go live in 2027.

In line with our ambition for all trusts to become advanced foundation trusts by 2035, the second wave of candidates to be assessed as part of the Advanced Foundation Trust Programme will be confirmed shortly. We will also publish an updated policy framework and assessment approach following our recent consultation.