14 November 2011
The board in charge of demerging Epsom and St Helier hospitals to ensure they achieve foundation trust status has confirmed that it has received 'bids' to merge with both hospitals. The deadline for applications was 11 November 2011.
Jan Sawkins is the independent chair of the transaction board. She said: "I am extremely pleased to confirm that Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has formally bid to merge with Epsom Hospital, whilst St George's Healthcare NHS Trust has bid to merge with St Helier and Sutton hospitals. This is excellent news and I would like to thank both trusts for submitting their bids."
Over the next two months, the bids will be assessed against a range of criteria aimed at proving how, by merging with Epsom or St Helier, they will improve healthcare services for local people. The criteria, which have been developed in association with patient and public representatives, as well as hospital staff, include how the bidders will:
-
improve the care provided to patients;
-
improve the way local health services work together;
-
unite their newly combined workforce, including managing and developing staff;
-
improve the quality and efficiency of services to ensure the combined hospitals provide good value to the taxpayer.
Jan added: "Between now and the end of January 2012, we will be going through the bids to ensure they meet the criteria. This involves dozens of people, including doctors, nurses and other staff from the Trust reviewing the bids and scoring them.
Addressing concerns that the bids might include plans to shut hospital services, Jan added: "It is important to remember that this process is not about changing services. The organisations bidding to take over Epsom or St Helier will be required to run all of the services currently provided at that hospital, including A&E (accident and emergency) and maternity."
The transaction board is expected to announce whether or not the bids have been successful in late January or early February 2012. Their recommendations will then need to be approved by a number of other organisations, including the Department of Health, with the mergers planned to take place in January 2013.
