The trust which runs Nottingham’s QMC and City hospitals is to takeover another trust running three struggling Nottinghamshire hospitals.
Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust, which runs King’s Mill, Newark and Mansfield Community hospitals, has been looking to merge with a better-performing trust since last year.
Talks began after inspectors the Care Quality Commission said the Sherwood trust was underperforming last year and rated it as ‘inadequate’.
The trust has also been in special measures since 2013.
Bosses began talking to Nottingham University Hospitals Trust and Derby Teaching Hospitals Trust – and today announced the Nottingham trust is the ‘preferred partner’.
We will gain some immediate support
Interim chief executive of Sherwood Forest Hospitals Peter Herring said: “Ahead of a formal transaction to join the two trusts, the team at Nottingham University Hospitals will give us some immediate support to help us continue to make clinical improvements.
“In the medium-term, the partnership will bring us a stable leadership team and improvements in governance.
“In the longer term, the new organisation will bring stronger opportunities for clinically and financially sustainable services for our local communities.
“It will also help with the recruitment and retention of staff, and will enable us to provide better hospital services and regional specialist services for local people.”
What Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust says it hopes the merger can bring
- A clear strategic fit between the two hospital Trusts
- Strong senior clinician support for the partnership
- Regular patient movement between the Trusts which has already been established
- Experienced and committed leadership
- Clear vision for the services that could be delivered across the new combined Trust
- Ability to release staff to work with Sherwood Forest Hospital teams to support immediate improvement
- Strong intent to work collaboratively taking the best of both organisations to create a new one
Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust is based at King’s Mill Hospital, near Mansfield and provides acute healthcare services for 420,000 people across Mansfield, Ashfield, Newark, Sherwood and parts of Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.
