What happens if we don’t become an NHS foundation trust?

The government has said that all NHS trusts will have to become NHS foundation trusts by 2016. If we are not able to become an NHS foundation trust on our own we will be merged with, or taken over by an existing NHS foundation trust. This would mean we would lose our independence and our ability to maintain a clear focus on community services. We would have to compete for funding and resources with a range of other services in a much larger organisation.