Under Section 19 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust has a duty to adopt and maintain a Publication Scheme.
The purpose of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 is to promote greater openness by public authorities. The Act does not change the right of patients to protection of their confidentiality. Maintaining the legal right to patient confidentiality continues to be an important commitment on our part.
Who we are and what we do
South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust (STSFT) was formed on 1 April 2019 following the merger of City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust and South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust. We provide acute and community healthcare services to a core population of over 430,000 people living in and around the borough of South Tyneside and the City of Sunderland, as well as thousands of people from Durham who regularly use our services. We also provide a number of community and other services to the Gateshead population.
Our Trust provides a range of specialist services accessed by patients across the whole of the North East and beyond, serving a population of almost 1 million people. We are very proud to employ over 8,000 highly committed staff who excel every day in delivering outstanding, compassionate care to people within our hospitals, in their own homes and from our multiple community venues and outreach services. Prior to the merger, since 2016, our two former Trusts have worked in close collaboration as part of a strategic alliance and we have already delivered on a number of successful major transformational changes to improve our most vulnerable clinical service areas.
Through our strong and proud history of working together, we are also collaborating across organisational boundaries and with our partners in health and social care as we strategically plan for the future. This work is taking place locally within our Integrated Care Partnership (Durham, South Tyneside and Sunderland) and across the wider regional footprint of the North East and North Cumbria’s Integrated Care System.
- Organisational Structure
- Trust Board
- Corporate Information
- Contact numbers and locations of our hospital sites
How we fit into the NHS structure
The NHS was set up in 1948 and is now the largest organisation in Europe. It is recognised as one of the best health services in the world by the World Health Organisation.
The NHS is funded by the taxpayer and overseen by the Department of Health, which sets overall policy on health issues. It is the responsibility of the Department of Health to provide health services to the general public through the NHS.
South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust forms part of the secondary healthcare structure.
The Department of Health
On the Department of Health's website you can learn all about the Department and what it is seeking to achieve.
Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs)
Assessing local health needs and commissioning the services to meet them. Our CCGs work with local authorities and other agencies that provide health and social care locally to make sure that our local community's needs are being met.
Primary Care
Primary care is the care provided by people you normally see when you first have a health problem. It might be a visit to a GP or a dentist, an optician or a pharmacist. NHS walk-in centres and the NHS 111 telephone service are also part of primary care.
The NHS website
The NHS website has a wealth of health information and advice available through the Internet, including a detailed Self Help Guide.
Secondary Care
Secondary care - NHS Trusts - Emergency and planned hospital treatment Hospitals are managed by acute trusts. Acute trusts make sure that hospitals provide high-quality healthcare and that they spend their money efficiently. They also decide how a hospital will develop, so that services improve.
Acute trusts employ a large part of the NHS workforce, including nurses, doctors, pharmacists, and midwives. They also employ people doing jobs related to medicine, such as physiotherapists, radiographers, podiatrists, speech and language therapists, counsellors, occupational therapists, psychologists and healthcare scientists. There are many other non-medical staff employed, including receptionists, porters, cleaners, specialists in information technology, managers, engineers, caterers and domestic and security staff. Acute trusts can also provide services in the community, for example through health centres, clinics or in people's homes. Some acute trusts are regional or national centres for more specialised care. Others are attached to universities and help to train health professionals.
NHS Foundation Trusts
Foundation trusts were introduced in 2004. They are tailored to the needs of the local population. Foundation trusts have been given much more financial and operational freedom than other NHS trusts and represent the government’s de-centralisation of public services. These trusts remain within the NHS and its performance inspection system.
More information about Foundation Trusts can be found on the NHS Improvement website (NHS Improvement is the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts).
South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust provide acute and community healthcare services and a range of specialised services accessed by patients across the whole of the North East.
What we spend and how we spend it
This section contains links to documents detail of what we spend and how.
Monthly finance report, as part of the reports presented to the Board of Directors
Staff and Board members’ allowances and expenses
All allowances and expenses are paid in accordance with the National Terms and Conditions of Employment, a copy of which is available via the Department of Health website.
Details of the Board’s remuneration can be found in the remuneration report in the Trust’s Annual Report.
Our priorities and how we’re doing
We are committed to quality and safety, both in our hospitals and in the community, and aim to be as transparent as possible about how we’re doing. There are lots of different ways to measure our performance, from official inspections to feedback from our patients, and we examine all results in order to make improvements wherever possible.
Performance against national targets - as part of the reports presented to the Board of Directors
Reports by regulatory organisations
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department of Health. It was established in 2009 to regulate and inspect health and social care services in England. Copies of inspection reports are available on the website.
Quality Report - as part of the reports presented to the Board of Directors.
How we make decisions
Board papers - The Trust publishes details of all Board Meetings and associated documents on this website. Documents can be found here
Policies and procedures
Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Act 2015 - Annual Statement
Advice and Complaints
The Advice and Complaints Team is on hand to listen to your feedback and help you with any concerns you might have over the quality of your care. More details on how the team operates can be found here.
Data protection/records management/Caldicott Guardian
The Trust collects, stores and uses large amounts of personal data every day, such as medical records, personnel records and computerised information. This data is used by many people in the course of their work. We take our duty to protect your personal information and confidentiality very seriously and we are committed to taking all reasonable measures to ensure the confidentiality and security of personal data for which we are responsible, whether computerised or on paper. For further information on how the Trust uses and shares this data, and how to access your medical records click here.
Estate management - The management of estates and facilities on South Tyneside Sites is the responsibility of the Director of Estates, Facilities and Clinical Engineering.
Sunderland sites fall under the responsibility of CHoICE, a wholly owned subsidiary.
Charging regimes and policies - The Trust will not normally charge a fee for requests. Where a charge is made, documentation from the Information Commissioner’s Office FOI Fee Charging document and Using the Fees Regulations document will be used.
Lists and registers
Register of Interests, Register of gifts and hospitality
A register of interests, gifts and hospitality to Board members and senior personnel and a list of the register of interests for our Governors are retained at the Trust.
For further details please write to the Trust Secretary, South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, Trust Headquarters, Sunderland Royal Hospital, Kayll Road, Sunderland, SR4 7TP.
Our services
Full list of clinical services by type and location:
For detailed information on the clinical and commissioned services we offer please click here.
Patient information leaflets and other booklets - patient information leaflets about clinical treatments, conditions and our services by clicking here.
Advice and Complaints The Advice and Complaints Team is on hand to listen to your feedback and help you with any concerns you might have over the quality of your care. More details on how the team operates can be found here.
Communications and media releases - Click here to view the latest Trust news including announcements, awards, campaigns, fundraising, meetings, services and statements.
