Hospitals in new alliance structure
A controversial alliance between two hospital trusts has taken a step forward with an agreement to have a joint management structure.
City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust and South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust has announced it is to have a single executive and management team accountable for running all hospital and community services across both areas.
Hospital bosses say the move is an important step in further improving the delivery of patient care and it is not a merger of the two organisations – each will maintain local accountability and independence and will hold the newly-formed joint executive and management team to account for each individual organisation.
Both Trusts will continue to function as statutory NHS Foundation Trusts.
The alliance plan, announced earlier this year, has proved controversial in South Tyneside where there are fears that it will lead to key service being lost to the borough.
The boards and the councils of governors at both trusts say they took the joint management decision in the interests of delivering “nationally recognised, high quality, cost effective, sustainable healthcare.”
Earlier this year, the two foundation trusts formed the alliance and set up the South Tyneside and Sunderland Healthcare Group to look at jointly providing some clinical services.
This latest announcement follows a ‘memorandum of understanding’ agreed by both organisations. The organisations say that, in coming weeks, an executive and management team will be formed.
It is anticipated that the new structure will generate initial savings in excess of £500,000.
City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust chief executive Ken Bremner said: “We know how important it is to local communities to have access to a wide range of high quality health services, with the best possible health outcomes.
“It is, therefore, our collective ambition to ensure this vision is realised across Sunderland and South Tyneside with equitable access to the highest quality of care, regardless of where you live. It is my commitment to patients and staff alike that this joint executive management team will act, and act only in the very best interests of patient care.”