North London hospital trusts to merge in new year

The Royal Free Hospital is based in Hampstead

Two north London hospital trusts are set to merge from the new year.

The Royal Free London (RFL) NHS Foundation Trust and North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust hope it will cut waiting times, improve treatments and facilitate the sharing of research.

RFL chief executive Pete Landstrom told a Camden Council's health committee the case to combine the trusts had been completed in July and put to NHS England for final approval.

“We believe the merger will be very helpful in progressing and addressing the challenges we have as a local population,” he said.

Subject to NHS England’s approval in the autumn, the trusts are due to merge formally by 1 January 2025, Mr Landstrom said.

RFL and North Middlesex have collaborated for many years, first as clinical partners in 2017 and then as formal partners in 2021.

In January, they announced they were exploring the possibility of a merger.

The RFL trust runs a hospital carrying its name in Hampstead as well as Barnet Hospital and Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield.

The North Middlesex University Trust runs a hospital under its name in Edmonton.

The two trusts are set to merge and cover large parts of north London

In 2023, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) gave both trusts “requires improvement” ratings based on safety, responsiveness and leadership.

Anna Burrage from the council's health committee asked Mr Landstrom how the merger would help improve both trusts in light of those reports.

“Sometimes doing a merger like this is a distraction from actually getting on with the job that needs to be done, which is an improvement of service and care provision,” she said.

Mr Landstrom insisted a CEO and local executive team at each hospital meant there would be "maintained focus on the delivery and improvement of core services".

He confirmed there were no plans to integrate other bodies into the Royal Free Group, and stressed the priority of local presence and representation.

“The most important thing is that local identity, and local services are strengthened and not weakened by coming together.”