The proposals
We are undertaking a project to identify the best way to secure a sustainable future for the George Eliot hospital. The Board took this decision in September 2011(link to press release), after confirming that we are unlikely to achieve Foundation Trust (FT) status as a ‘stand alone’ organisation by the April 2014 deadline imposed by the Department of Health. We are now seeking a suitable partner organisation with which we can achieve FT status.
The long and short list of options
Over the autumn of 2011, we worked with stakeholders to identify what sort of organisation we would benefit from partnering with. A long list of options was created and debated, and in November we presented a short list of six to the public board meeting. (See press release here)
The short list of options is:
· Join another NHS trust of a similar size to create a joint organisation
· Join a specialist NHS trust looking to broaden its range of services or strengthen its balance sheet
· Become part of a bigger organisation, probably a regional centre
· Vertically integrate to create a single organisation across a health economy, primary, secondary and social / continuing care and mental health
· Join a super chain of several hospitals, possibly geographically spread, with similar values, systems and common senior management
· Form a partnership with an independent sector health organisation
These were presented within the Strategic Outline Case, which is publically available on our information centre pages.
Further work is now underway to refine the suitability of these options and identify which organisations to hold exploratory discussions with.
Get involved
We are determined to continue to engage with staff, patients and our all partners in this process, so please visit the ‘getting involved’ (link coming soon) pages to find out more about our Quality Assurance Group, public meetings and other ways to have your say.
If you have any queries, then please do get in touch via our ‘have your say’ page (coming soon)
Keep up to date
Visit our‘project latest’ page for updates on the project, directing you to the latest press releases, minutes, papers and newsletters, as they become available.
Other links
· Our future – project introduction
· Public involvement
· Information centre
· FAQs
