NHS Southampton
City and NHS Portsmouth Trust Boards have this week given
their approval to integrate their provider arms, Portsmouth Community and
Mental Health Services and Southampton Community Healthcare.
NHS
Portsmouth’s Trust Board today agreed to proposals outlined in the joint business
case which follows the same decision taken yesterday (Thu 19 Nov) by NHS
Southampton City.
Following today’s decision, the business case will now be considered by
South Central Strategic Health Authority (SHA) and the Department of Health. If
accepted, this
decision will mean that as of 1 April 2010, a new NHS community and mental
health services provider will be created. As part of this decision, Portsmouth Community and Mental Health Services
will transfer across to NHS
Southampton City
from April 2010.
The current
teams will now continue to work together in developing the agreed proposals and
shaping services to meet the needs of patients.
Bob Deans, Chief Executive Officer for NHS Southampton City which runs Southampton
Community Healthcare and will host theintegrated services, said: “Creating a single NHS community provider, through the integration
of Southampton and Portsmouth’s respective provider arms, will allow us to keep
services local and provide patients with improved quality of care, increased
choice and an even better patient experience. This positive decision will also
allow the local NHS to revolutionise the delivery of community services across
Southampton and Portsmouth
which will benefit both patients and staff.”
Tracy Sanders, Chief Executive of NHS
Portsmouth, the Primary Care Trust that currently runs Portsmouth Community and
Mental Health Services, added: “By taking this
decision, we’re not proposing that patients in Southampton travel to Portsmouth or vice versa
to use services. Instead, the decision will allow us to create one dedicated provider
through which we can share best practice and deliver improved services to
patients across both areas. As we move towards April 2010, we will further
develop the proposals we have in place to ensure a smooth integration. The decision by NHS Southampton
City and NHS Portsmouth will
create a provider with increased financial stability for the years to come and
one which is able to offer improved access to healthcare services for
patients.”
This decision follows guidance published in Transforming Community
Services: Enabling new patterns of provision, published by the Department
of Health, which states that Primary Care Trusts must develop a detailed plan
for the future of provider services and review the options for most appropriate
form.
Ends
Notes for Editors:
-
NHS Southampton City is responsible for investing in health and care
services to effectively meet the needs of the city’s population.
-
Southampton
Community Healthcare is the provider arm of NHS Southampton
City. As a provider organisation, Southampton Community
Healthcare delivers NHS services in the community.
-
NHS Portsmouth
is responsible for commissioning and providing local health services.
-
Portsmouth Community
and Mental Health Services is the provider
arm of NHS Portsmouth, responsible for a wide range delivering a wide
range of community health services across the city, and further afield, to
meet local health needs.
- The transferring of
Portsmouth Community and Mental Health Services to NHS Southampton City
will take place via Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment)
Regulations 2006 (TUPE).
- Following this
decision by the respective Trust Boards, a merger proposal will now be
presented to the Department of Health, for implementation from 1 Apr. The Business Case will now be considered
by South Central Strategic Health Authority and various Department of
Health Boards
For more information please contact:
PORTSMOUTH: Pat Forsyth, NHS Portsmouth on 023
9268 4835.
SOUTHAMPTON: Matthew Butler, NHS Southampton
City on 023 8029 6930.
