Annual Report and Accounts - The Great Western Hospital

3.31 Statement as to disclosures to auditors
For each individual director, so far as the director is aware, there is no relevant information of which
the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s auditor is unaware and that each director has
taken all the steps that they ought to have taken as a director in order to make themselves aware of
any relevant audit information and to establish that the Great Western Hospitals Foundation Trust’s
auditor is aware of that information.
Relevant audit information means information needed by the auditor in connection with preparing
their report. In taken all steps the directors have made such enquiries of their fellow directors and of
the Trust’s auditors for that purpose and they have taken such other steps for that purpose as are
required by their duty as a director of the Trust to exercise reasonable care, skill and diligence.
3.32 Additional disclosures
3.32.1 Preparation of accounts
The accounts for the period ended 31st March 2012 have been prepared in accordance with
paragraphs 24 and 25 of Schedule 7 to the National Health Service Act 2006 in the form that
Monitor (the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts) with the approval of the Treasury,
has directed.
3.32.2 History of the Trust
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was authorised as a Foundation Trust on 1
December 2008 and established as a public benefit corporation under the NHS Act 2006. On
becoming a Foundation Trust the name of the organisation was changed from Swindon and
Marlborough NHS Trust to the name we have now.
As a Foundation Trust the organisation has greater freedom to run its own affairs, which offers
financial advantages to invest in services for the future. The principle activities of the Trust are
referred to elsewhere in this report (section 3.2 refers).
3.32.3 Going concern
After making enquiries the directors have a reasonable expectation that the Great Western
Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for
the foreseeable future. For this reason, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing
for the accounts.
3.32.4 Accounting policies for pensions and other retirement benefits
Accounting policies for pensions and other retirement benefits are set out in note 1.3 to the
accounts and details of senior employees’ remuneration can be found elsewhere in this report in
the remuneration report section (section 4.8 refers).
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