The region's mental health trust could become part-owned by staff in a bid to improve NHS workers' morale.

But in a move which has done nothing for staff morale the trust suggested employing workers in low wage countries to talk to mental health patients over Skype, in its application to secure government funding to research the project.

Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT) and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital were chosen as two of nine trusts in the country to look at a new model of staff ownership in November called 'mutualisation'.

It would mean the two NHS providers would no longer be Foundation Trusts and be owned by different stakeholders, including staff.

The NSFT's full application for government money to explore becoming a mutual has now been released after a Freedom of Information request from campaigners.

The application shows a radical series of proposals which the NSFT denied yesterday it was exploring.

Those proposals included workers in low-wage countries talking to patients on video messenger service Skype and a break up of the trust into eight smaller areas.

But the NSFT said it was only interested in mutuals from a staff engagement perspective.

'I can categorically state that there is absolutely no consideration of our dismantling the trust, or of our providing services remotely from overseas,' chairman Gary Page said. 'This early application included a number of highly speculative ideas.'

Unison steward Emma Corlett said: 'The staff we have spoken to are very clear – what we need are resources to do our jobs properly.'

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