Local Needs

Local Health issue 3 January 2009 Reviewing the way the Trust is shaped

Welcome Project support

Last summer, we announced plans with our strategic PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) has been appointed to health authority, NHS , to review the way the offer expert advice to the Local Needs, Local Health review. Trust is managed. This is a briefing to update staff, Their role includes helping the project partners to volunteers, patients, local people and other stakeholders understand the financial and clinical implications of the on the latest news from the Local Needs, Local Health three proposed options (status quo, de-merger and review. divestment). They will also help the Trust involve staff, volunteers and other stakeholders in the review process.

Involving staff

Samantha Jones Plans are being developed to ensure as many staff and Chief Executive volunteers, both clinical and non-clinical, are able to get involved with Local Needs, Local Health, giving them a chance to help shape the review. Project Board All Trust consultants have already been invited to attend a seminar on 23 January, 1pm – 5pm, at Epsom Racecourse. Consultants are asked to confirm their attendance by The first meeting of the Local Needs, Local Health Project emailing [email protected]. Board will take place on 22 January. The Board, which is made up of representatives from the five partner Events for other staff and volunteers will be publicised shortly. organisations, will be asked to formally agree how the review will be run (called the Terms of Reference) and how it will be managed (known as the governance structure). The minutes of the meeting, along with the agreed Terms In the news of Reference and governance structure, will be made available on the Trust website shortly after the meeting. In late November, seven local MPs sent a joint letter to Samantha Jones calling for the Local Needs, Local Health The project partners are Epsom and St Helier University review to de-merge the hospitals. Hospitals NHS Trust, NHS London, Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust, Primary Care Trust and South The MPs are: (), Sir East Coast Strategic Health Authority. (Mole Valley), (Epsom and Ewell), Ian Taylor (Esher and Walton), Paul Burstow (Sutton and Cheam), Tom Brake ( and Wallington) and Siobhain Project Director appointed McDonagh (Mitcham and Morden). Ms Jones responded by thanking the MPs for the interest Michele Moran has been appointed as the Project Director they had shown in Local Needs, Local Health and promised for the review and will start on 12 January. Michele’s job will to take the contents of their letter on board during the be to manage the review on a day-to-day basis, reporting to review process. the Chief Executive, Samantha Jones, and the Project Board. A copy of the MPs’ letter and the Trust’s response can be Michele is on secondment from Leeds Partnerships NHS found on the Local Needs, Local Health section of our Foundation Trust where she is Director of Service Delivery website (www.epsom-sthelier.nhs.uk). and Chief Nurse. Local Needs, Local Health January 09

It is recognised that there may be options not included in Local Needs, Local Health – the above which may be identified. The partners have frequently asked questions therefore agreed to consider new options if they are deemed appropriate. What are we doing? When will it finish? Local Needs, Local Health is looking at the way the Trust is A timeline for the review will be drawn up by the shaped with a view to establishing whether there is a Project Board, but it has been agreed by the partners that better way of managing the hospitals. it should be completed by spring 2009. This allows time for a thorough review, whilst resolving the uncertainty Who is involved? surrounding the future of the hospitals as quickly as Local Needs, Local Health is being led by Epsom and possible. St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust and NHS London, with the involvement of Sutton and Merton Primary Care Depending on the outcome of the review, plans will Trust, Surrey Primary Care Trust and South East Coast then need to be put in place to take forward the Strategic Health Authority. proposals, including gaining approval from relevant Boards and, if applicable, consulting with staff, Why are we doing it? volunteers and the public. There are three main reasons for the review: How will Trust staff be involved? 1. To see if there is a better way for us to meet the It is important that the Trust’s doctors, nurses, other diverse health needs of the local community. clinicians, non-clinicians and volunteers are as involved in the review as possible. With this in mind, the Project 2. To see if there is a better way to meet the demands Board will soon set out plans to engage staff and placed on us by our primary care trusts, in particular: volunteers in the process.

– For patients to be able to access services locally – To meet the increasingly high standards place on For more information us by a number of professional bodies – Our ability to deliver services within the finite For further information about the Local Needs, Local resources available to us. Health review, please visit www.epsom-sthelier.nhs.uk/localneeds,localhealth. 3. To see if there is a better way for us to meet the challenges posed by: You can also call Shelley Hopgood on 020 8296 2406 or email [email protected] to subscribe to – The mandatory need to reduce the number of regular updates, including this newsletter. hours staff can work under the European Working Time Directive Request a speaker – Our ability to recruit certain types of clinicians – Patient Choice, the national NHS initiative which We would welcome requests for senior Trust staff to gives patients a choice of where they receive attend meetings of local community groups and other treatment. stakeholders to talk about the review and to take questions. What is being considered? The project partners have agreed to assess a range of Please contact Shelley Hopgood on 020 8296 2406 for options, including, but not limited to: more information.

• Status quo – the Trust remaining as it is • De-merger – Epsom and St Helier hospitals de-merging to become two new NHS trusts • Divestment – the Trust transferring ownership of part of the organisation to another body, for instance another hospital, primary care trust or independent provider.