trusts had shown a small increase to 151. Governance The basic governance structure and form of foundation trusts is described in Schedule 7 of the National Health Service Act 2006, with the formal corporate form being called a "public benefit corporation". Each foundation trust has a council of governors. This is made up of elected governors and appointed governors. Elected governors are chosen by a secret postal ballot of the membership, which is open to the general public. The elections are usually held in separate constituencies. Typically there is a staff constituency, a patient constituency, and a "public member" constituency, consisting of members who are neither patients nor staff but live in a defined geographical area. In addition, there are governors appointed by bodies with whom the trust works in partnership. So, for example, appointments may be made by local councils, local medical schools, and local voluntary organisations. Governors are intended to act as a link between the community and the board of directors. The size of the council of governors and its exact composition are determined by the constitution of the particular trust. Each trust adopts its own constitution subject to certain restrictions in legislation. These restrictions include that a majority of the council of governors must be elected governors and governors must be unpaid volunteers. Some trusts are more committed to co-operative principles and have even written the Rochdale Principles into their constitution; they aspire to work closely and in partnership with other mutual and local organisations. At first, foundation trusts were authorised and regulated by Monitor, a non-executive body under the Department of Health. Monitor was merged into NHS Improvement in 2016. The trade body for foundation trusts is NHS Providers, formerly known as the Foundation Trust Network, which has 95% of all acute, ambulance, community and mental health foundation trusts in its membership. A 2014 report by the Socialist Health Association said that on the whole after 10 years, "Foundation Trusts [had]... not deepened in terms of democratic practice and participation". The independence of Foundation Trust governors was challenged in 2021 when the governors of Queen Victoria Hospital, a small specialist trust, called for a pause to plans for it to merge with University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust. NHS Improvement were said to have effectively ordered the council of governors to work towards a merger. Reception A study undertaken in 2005 by the King's Fund