About us
Introduction to NHFT
Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) is a Community and Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, providing a wide range of NHS services across Northamptonshire and some specialist services in neighbouring counties and regions. We are part of the Leicestershire Partnership and Northamptonshire Healthcare Associate University Group.
Our care
We deliver care in people's homes, local clinics, schools, colleges, community settings and some inpatient and specialist environments including low and medium secure forensic settings and prisons.
Our communities
We serve a population of over 845,000 people in Northamptonshire in addition to those we provide care for in neighbouring regions. The Northamptonshire population is growing and is ageing, with more people of all ages living with long term conditions and complex needs. Our communities are also becoming more diverse. These trends, alongside the 10-Year Health Plan for England, shape the way we plan services - focusing on prevention, earlier support and fair access for everyone.
Our services
We provide over 200 services across the county - as well as some specialist services in bordering and nearby counties. We work together with our partners to ensure that our patients, service users and carers receive compassionate, person-centred care. Our care is provided through five care delivery pathways;
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Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Autism
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Adult Community Services
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Children and Young People's Services
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Specialist and Secured Services
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Medium and Low Secure Services.
Our People
Our workforce is committed to providing outstanding compassionate care. We have over 7,000 colleagues who work across clinical and corporate roles, often in multi-disciplinary teams and together with our partner organisations, to support people in many different settings and circumstances. No matter their area of discipline, our colleagues all work hard to make a difference for patients, carers and each other every day.
Our Board
We are governed by a Board of Directors, made up of executive directors, who lead day-to-day delivery, and non-executive directors, who provide independent challenge and oversight. The Board sets direction, monitors performance and ensures the Trust meets its legal, financial and regulatory duties.
As a Foundation Trust, we are also accountable to our Council of Governors, whose members include the public, service users and carers, staff and partner organisations. Governors help ensure that our plans remain connected to local needs and that the voices of communities and colleagues continue to influence how we improve.
Our Partners
Group partnership with Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT)
We continue to work together with LPT through our Group model, known as the Leicestershire Partnership and Northamptonshire Healthcare Associate University Group. This partnership enables us to share learning, align strategy and strengthen collaboration where it brings clear benefits for patients, communities and our workforce, while each Trust retains its own identity and accountability.
One of our ambitions as an Associate University Group, in collaboration with the University of Leicester, is to reach Group University Hospital status and an action plan is in place to achieve this.
Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board (ICB)
Made up of local NHS trusts, primary care providers and local authorities, the ICB is responsible for overseeing local NHS services, performance and budgets, and for joining up care to improve people's experiences in line with the NHS Northamptonshire ICB Five-Year Joint Forward Plan. By bringing together partners, it allows for greater input from all those involved in delivering services, resulting in better care centred around individual, neighbourhood and community needs.
Primary care
The Trust works closely with primary care partners, including GP practices and Primary Care Networks across Northamptonshire, to deliver more integrated, community-based services. These partnerships support multidisciplinary models of care, improve early intervention and prevention, and enable people to access joined-up support closer to home.
Local authorities
We have strong partnerships with West Northamptonshire Council and North Northamptonshire Council which are central to addressing the wider determinants of health and supporting people with complex needs. We work collaboratively across areas such as mental health, learning disability services, safeguarding, public health and social care to ensure people receive coordinated support across organisational boundaries.
Academic partnerships
Our partnerships with education and academic institutions, including the University of Northampton and the University of Leicester, support workforce development, research and innovation. Working with the University of Leicester, as a member of our Associated University Group and together with Leicester Partnership NHS Trust (LPT), we have applied for full University Hospital Association status which will further enhance our ability to recruit and retain the best staff and increase our contribution to research.
Voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE)
We also work with a wide range of VCFSE organisations, recognising the vital role these partners play in supporting neighbourhood-based support, prevention, community resilience and personalised care. These partnerships help us understand and reach underserved communities, reduce health inequalities and ensure services are designed around the needs of local people, neighbourhoods and communities.
Supporting the Armed Forces: Serving Personnel and Veterans
NHFT is proud to show our commitment to the Armed Forces through the Armed Forces Covenant, with our initial pledge having been taken in 2017.
The 2 key principles of the covenant are that:
- no member of the armed forces community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen
- in some circumstances special treatment may be appropriate, especially for the injured or bereaved
NHFT welcomes feedback from our armed forces community to inform and improve services.
Additionally NHFT has been a Gold Award holder for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme since 2020, confirming our commitment to support for our staff who are veterans, Reserves, Cadet Force Adult Volunteers, and spouses and partners of those serving in the Armed Forces.
From April 2023 Statutory Covenant provisions came into force. View the Armed_Forces_Covenant_Duty_Statutory_Guidance.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk)
