ONE of the region's largest hospital trusts is to apply for Foundation Trust status.

If the bid is successful, the 1,000-bed County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust could become a Foundation Trust in a year.

The trust, which includes Darlington Memorial Hospital, Bishop Auckland General Hospital and the University Hospital of North Durham, has been awarded the top rating of three stars for the past two years, and this means it is entitled to make a bid for NHS Foundation Trust status.

A formal application will be sent to the Department of Health at the beginning of December.

According to trust officials, one of the key differences would be a far greater role for the public to have a say in the way that health services are provided to them.

Trust chief executive John Saxby said: "The role of the new trust would be identical to that of the old one - to provide the same high quality NHS services to local people.

"We have already achieved a great deal, including winning three stars for the past two years, and we now feel that the time is right to move on to become an NHS Foundation Trust.

"A successful application would offer the trust the flexibility it needs to keep improving the health services we offer."

The application will be scrutinised first by the Department of Health, and then by the independent regulator of Foundation Trusts, Monitor. The public would be consulted before any decision.

Other trusts which have attained Foundation Trust status include Sunderland, Gateshead Health, South Tyneside and Harrogate.