22.02.12
Merger plans considered by London trusts
King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC) is developing a business case for the creation of a new, single academic healthcare organisation which would provide both physical and mental healthcare alongside research, education and training.
The move would involve bringing together Guy’s andSt Thomas’, King’sCollegeHospitalandSouth Londonand Maudlsey NHS Foundation Trusts into one organisation, and would work closely with university partner King’s College London.
All four partner organisations have unanimously endorsed a recommendation from the King’s Health Partners Board to prepare a ‘strategic outline case’ to assess the benefits, costs and risks of establishing a single organisation. By bringing together both mental health and acute trusts in this way, King’s Health Partners would create a unique organisation, the first of its kind in the country.
The recommendation followed a review commissioned by the Partners Board last year to look at different models for the future development of the AHSC and explore how greater academic participation with King’s College London could be achieved.
Staff, patients, governors, partner organisations and others have been sent a briefing outlining the AHSC’s ambitions to create a single entity that will drive innovations and improve the quality of research, education and training and the delivery of care to local patients. The next step will be to discuss the proposal more widely with them.
Professor Robert Lechler, executive director of King’s Health Partners, said: “What we are considering isn't just another NHS merger – not only are we approaching this from a position of strength financially, but we will be creating a totally new type of organisation that brings closely together mental and physical healthcare with research, education and training at its highest level. Working as one, alongside our university partner King’s College London, will mean we have the potential to fully transform the delivery of healthcare to our local patients and beyond, creating a system rated amongst the best in the world.
“This is a hugely significant moment for our AHSC. However, it is only the first step along the road to integration. As we develop the strategic outline case we will be engaging with staff and patients as well as healthcare providers and commissioners in south London to ensure that our new organisation is able to deliver the very best patient care possible and speed up the time it takes for research discoveries to become routine clinical practice.”
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