23 January 2012
Local people and our patients will be aware that our Trust is unable to achieve foundation trust status in its current form. As such, a special committee (known as a Transaction Board) was set up to explore and, once approved, implement alternative options.
This is likely to see Epsom and St Helier (including Sutton) hospitals de-merge and merge with other hospitals.
In November 2011, Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and St George's Healthcare NHS Trust formally tendered to merge with Epsom and St Helier hospitals (respectively).
The Transaction Board is currently reviewing both bids, which included a thorough assessment of the tenders by five specialist panels, looking at the following areas:
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Clinical - how the partners will manage and, as appropriate, enhance the clinical services we provide;
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HR/workforce - their plans for uniting and developing the combined workforce;
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Non-clinical - how they'll manage our non-clinical services, for instance IT and estates;
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Legal - ensuring all appropriate contracts and similar legal matters are in place;
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Financial - ensuring their financial plans add up.
The panels, which include doctors, nurses and other staff from our hospitals, as well as local GPs and colleagues from other local NHS organisations, have assessed the bids against a range of criteria which were developed in partnership with our staff, as well as patient and public representatives.
The criteria include: delivering better outcomes and benefits for patients, and improving the way local health services work together.
All five panels have now completed their assessment and we are pleased to report that the bidders have passed this phase of the review, meeting the criteria expected of them.
Involving our staff and local people
The five panels have recently presented their findings to two special committees which were set up to advise and support the de-merger process.
The first is the clinical reference group, which includes doctors, nurses and other clinical staff from inside and outside the Trust, who offer expert advice from a medical and nursing perspective.
The second is made up of people who represent the local community, including councillors, voluntary groups and patients. This is called the local representatives' panel.
We are pleased to report that the feedback from both committees was positive.
Financial support
As part of their bids, the two bidding trusts were asked to identify any additional financial support they would need from the NHS to make the merger a success. This includes the cost of merging non-clinical services such as IT, as well as covering day-to-day running costs until they are able to maximise the benefits of being a combined organisation, i.e. through improved efficiency.
The partners' requests for financial support are currently being discussed with the local NHS and will need to be agreed before preferred bidders can be announced.
Next steps
Over the coming weeks, the bids - and the assessment undertaken by the five specialist panels - will be presented to the Trust Board and Transaction Board, before going to our strategic authority, NHS London, for sign off.
Once this has been completed - which we anticipate to be in March - we will be able to announce if the two trusts have been selected as preferred bidders.
If this is the case, we can then move to the next phase of the project, which will be to prepare for the de-merger of our Trust and re-merging Epsom and St Helier (and Sutton) with their new partners.
Despite the slight delay in announcing the preferred bidders (it was originally February), the newly merged trusts will still be expected to start running from 1 January 2013.
For more information
We will of course continue to keep you updated as we move forward. However, please contact our foundation trust team on ext 020 8296 2406 or email chairft@esth.nhs.uk if you have questions.
Further information is also available on our website.
