Five NHS trusts have agreed to join forces in Liverpool in a move to revolutionise healthcare and establish a new city-wide hospital group.
The start of next month will see Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust combine to create NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group (UHLG).
Now, the timescales for when three other trusts will join the group have been finalised:
- 2025/26 – Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- 2026/27 – The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust
- 2027/28 – The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust
Officials from each trust will help develop a five-year strategy for the region via the Liverpool Adult Acute and Specialist Providers Joint Committee (LAASP).
Collecting ambitions
“'There is now an unprecedented opportunity for our five Trusts to work together collaboratively for the benefit of our patients,” said David Flory CBE, chair at the LAASP.
"The ambition of the LAASP Joint Committee members is for the NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group (UHLG) to become one of the leading groups of healthcare providers globally, delivering the best care for patients in a research intensive and innovative environment.”
Ambitions for the joint strategy include:
- Reduce duplication and fragmentation between trusts
- Better aligning co-dependent services
- Progress single electronic patient record and digital strategy implementation
- Develop a research and innovation plan
- Create shared services for key corporate functions
- Optimise resource use to lower operating costs
“Taking the best of all our individual organisations' strengths today and collaborating with a clear focus on tomorrow, working together for all the patients we serve locally, regionally, and nationally, will enable us to achieve this,” added Flory.
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