A SLOW response from residents has led Basingstoke hospital chiefs to scale down their expectations about foundation trust membership.

Brian Courtney, the acting company secretary for the foundation trust, raised the issue at the North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust's board meeting.

He reported that thanks to a recent drive to gain new members, which included making contact with the 30,000 patients who have received treatment in the past 12 months, the current membership total is 1,756.

However, despite the recent increase, Mr Courtney suggested the trust's current expectations of future membership numbers, which are submitted to Monitor, the independent regulator for NHS Foundation Trusts, should be reduced.

He said: "Our current strategy says that three per cent of our core population will be members after the first year. That's 8,250 people.

"I think that this is unachievable and we are potentially setting ourselves up for a fall.

"A figure of one per cent might be more realistic and our three-year target of five per cent of the core population might be more realistic as two per cent."

Members of the board voted unanimously on the new figures and also agreed to change the constitution so that new staff joining the hospital after it has become a foundation trust will automatically become members, unless they decide to "opt out".

The meeting heard that, so far, 953 members of the public have signed up, as well as 803 staff, almost a third of the hospital's staff roll.

The hospital's bid for foundation status, giving it more freedom from Government control, is likely to get the go-ahead by the end of the year.

The role of members will be to ensure the views of the community are heard, to help improve patient experiences and to act as ambassadors in the community.

They will receive trust newsletters, be invited to special events and asked to comment on new services.

Current members will be able to vote for the membership of a council of 27 governors, who will run the trust alongside the current board of directors.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Courtney said: "We genuinely want to feel as if the local population supports us and will contribute to the trust and help to decide its future direction.

"The more members we have, the better it is for us."

For more information or to sign up as a member, visit www.northhampshire.nhs.uk or call 01256 313601.