The Walton Centre has been selected to apply for Advance Foundation Trust Status
The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust has today (09/07/26) confirmed it is progressing to the second wave of assessment for Advanced Foundation Trust status, NHS England's new marker of excellence for the country's highest-performing NHS providers.
Inclusion in this early wave recognises that, as well as meeting the eligibility criteria, we have demonstrated consistently high performance by being placed in segment 1 of the NHS Oversight Framework for each quarter of 2025/26, as well as maintaining our CQC outstanding status.
As the only standalone specialist neurosciences University Foundation Trust, we will now undergo rigorous assessments in areas such as leadership, financial sustainability and quality of care.
Chief Executive Jan Ross s aid: “I'm keen to show the hard work and dedication of our staff in delivering outstanding services to all our patients through a strong partnership model of care involving multiple NHS organisations. This enhanced status would allow us greater strategic and operational autonomy and empower our leaders to drive change and improvements for patients and staff.
“We are incredibly proud of the high-quality care we already deliver to patients and their families, but want to ensure there is equity of access to all patients who need the specialist treatment we can provide across neurosurgery, neurology, pain management and rehabilitation.
“Our ambition is that everyone gets the specialist neurosciences care that they deserve at the right time, in the right environment, as close to home as possible."
Advanced Foundation Trust status would grant the Trust greater autonomy to plan services and lead improvements for patients across the north of England - reflecting the three shifts in the Government's 10 Year Health Plan.
More information about Advanced Foundation Trusts is available on the NHS England website
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Notes to editors
Further information, or to arrange an interview, please contact the Communications Team at The Walton Centre on 0151 556 3397 or wcft.communications@nhs.net
The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust is the only hospital trust in the UK specialising in neurology, neurosurgery and pain services. Although the majority of patients come from Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales, Lancashire and the Isle of Man, for some specialist treatments of complex disorders we see patients from all parts of the country, referred by their GPs or other neurologists, neurosurgeons and pain clinicians.
The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust was rated as 'Outstanding' by the Care Quality Commission. The independent regulator of all health and social care services in England published its rating on Friday 21 October 2016, following announced and unannounced inspection visits to the Trust in April 2016.