Hospital chiefs reveal possible future merger
Hospital chiefs in Sunderland and South Tyneside have opened up the possibility of becoming one organisation in the future.
The move comes almost two years since the trusts came together to form the South Tyneside and Sunderland Healthcare Group.
The boards of South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust and City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust now say there is a ‘mutual desire’ to begin looking at whether the two organisations could merge.
However, there is no suggestion that South Tyneside District Hospital would close as part of any new arrangement.
Ken Bremner, who has been chief executive officer across both trusts since September 2016, said: “We have made great strides since coming together to form the South Tyneside and Sunderland Healthcare Group with many clear benefits for our patients.
“We know, however, that there is still much more to do and this starts with exploring whether we should cement the relationship between our two trusts for the long-term.
“It is important that our patients, staff and stakeholders have a very clear message about what we envisage for the future, and both boards felt the timing was right to share this ambition now so that we can begin to openly discuss what a possible merger between our two organisations might mean.
“The strengths of working together across a greater geography are already abundantly clear and our aim is to make it as easy as possible for our teams to work effectively together without unnecessary organisational boundaries.
“As we look to the future and phase two of the Path to Excellence programme in 2018, I want everyone to feel confident and assured about the long-term organisational intentions of both trusts and our commitment to working together for the benefits of our patients and staff.
“This is really just the start of that conversation and we are committed to engaging with patients, staff and stakeholders as this work progresses over the year ahead.”
As it stands, South Tyneside and Sunderland operate as separate trusts, each with its own board of directors, with a single executive management team in place at the trusts since November 2016.
The trusts – which have been working closely together since March 2016 and signed a formal partnership agreement a month later – have now indicated their intentions to explore whether a possible merger would bring benefits for patients.
They are also set to begin a business planning process looking ahead to the next three to five years.