28.03.14
NHS trust to stay in control at George Eliot Hospital
Following “major” improvements in clinical performance, the George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust, which was put into special measures by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), will no longer face the possibility of being taken over or merged into another organisation.
Five organisations (two NHS trusts and three private companies) were shortlisted in December 2013 as potential ‘strategic partners’ for the trust.
But now the trust and the NHS Trust Development Authority (TDA) have decided this is no longer an appropriate option, especially since the trust is no longer considered a “mortality outlier”, with a current Standardised Hospital Mortality Indicator (SHMI) figure of 1.08.
As well as improving the SHMI figure at the trust, there have been improvements made against a range of national standards, including waiting times, harm-free care statistics, ward moves, and the number of pressure sores reported. Additionally, the trust’s A&E department was one of the best performing in the country in December and January against the four-hour treatment target.
David Flory, chief executive of the TDA, said: “The trust has shown real improvement since being placed in special measures and partnering with University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB).
“Although there is clearly a great deal of work still to do, the TDA believes the trust are best-placed to do that by continuing the existing arrangements rather than pursuing a strategic partner organisation.”
However, the decision as to whether the trust should come out of special measures still lies with Care Quality Commission (CQC), which is due to carry out an inspection on 29 April.
Trust chief executive Kevin McGee said: “Recent improvements have surpassed what we expected and this has led to us re-evaluating the process to secure a sustainable future for the Trust.”
Unison, the UK's largest union, said the hospital being “pulled back from the brink of privatisation” was a “victory for common sense”.
The NHS Strategic Projects Team had been helping guide the planned strategic partnering process. Its managing director Andrew MacPherson told NHE: “It’s been a privilege working with the George Eliot NHS Trust over the past three years and we wish them well for the future.”
A spokesperson for UHB added that the “buddying” relationship between George Eliot NHS Hospital Trust and UHB has so far led to improvements in quality of care for patients thanks to the commitment of a number of staff across a number of disciplines in both organisations.
“It has, and will continue to be, a proactive, outcome-driven process that focuses on key areas of review, discussion, and implementation that will improve the operational performance and the care of patients at George Eliot,” they stated.
The organisations who were previously in the running to take over at George Eliot were:
• Care UK Clinical Services Limited
• Circle Health Limited
• Ramsay Health Care UK
• South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust
• University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust
Whether the eventual model was an outright acquisition or a franchise model, the trust’s staff and assets would have remained within the NHS.
(Image: Joe Giddens/PA Archive/Press Association Images)
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