During the course of the year our attention began to focus on our longer-term plan to become a Foundation Trust. The Trust's earliest current authorisation date is 1st December 2009. In preparation for this the Board held strategy days and has endorsed a new vision for the future and a new simple slogan which encapsulated the Trust’s aspirations.

• We will care for our patients in a safe, caring and compassionate environment;

• We will recognise the changing needs of our patients.

• We will be regarded as a well run organisation which delivers excellent clinical services and is financially sound.

Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust provides acute hospital based services to a population of approximately 350,000 people living in and around the towns of Chelmsford, Maldon and Witham.

The Trust is also home to the regional plastic surgery service which covers a population of approximately 3.2 million people and the regional burns services which targets a population of approximately 9.8 million, and has an annual turnover of £190m, employing just over 3,000 staff across all of the hospital sites.

In 2004 the Trust was awarded Associated Teaching Hospital status from Barts and The London, Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and Dentistry. This recognises the important work the Trust does in training junior doctors and the support offered to them by the Trust’s staff.