How is the new alliance planning to tackle its problems?
Royal United Hospitals Bath Foundation Trust, Great Western Hospitals FT and Salisbury FT are forming an alliance aimed at improving clinical services.
The alliance will also aim to deal with discrepancies in provision and financial problems across the sustainability and transformation partnership (STP) of which they are all members: Bath, North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire.
The three trusts have a combined income of £888m and about 2000 beds. All three are rated as ‘requires improvement’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The partnership will endeavour to share best practice, create ‘clinical communities’ and to address problem specialty services including urology, orthopaedics, obstetrics and gynaecology and stroke.
A Royal United Hospitals Bath FT spokesperson said the alliance is not expected to lead to a merger.
Further information
HSJ: Three hospital trusts to form alliance
CQC: Find a hospital