Three hospitals to merge in major NHS shake-up

The NHS hopes the new hospitals group will save money and improve services

Three hospitals are set to effectively merge as part of a major shake-up, the NHS has confirmed.

The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH), The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in King's Lynn and the James Paget University Hospital (JPH) in Gorleston announced earlier they would soon be part of the same group.

In a joint statement, the three hospitals said the organisation would be called the Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group, with each hospital continuing to operate under its own name.

Tracey Bleakley, chief executive of NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board (ICB), said combining trusts would "improve efficiency and deliver better value for money".

"The case for change shows that closer working between our three hospital trusts will help us to achieve the things that matter most to patients, such as tackling waiting lists and ensuring people can be treated quickly in an emergency," she said.

"The change will also improve efficiency and deliver better value for money, which is vital at a time when there is real pressure on NHS finances.

"Importantly, it will deliver these improvements while also recognising the different needs of the communities the hospitals each serve."

The NNUH is Norfolk's largest hospital

The three hospital trusts - all currently rated as "requires improvement" by watchdog the Care Quality Commission - are forecasting a £53m gap in their finances by 2029/30.

The NHS said without action, the "significant challenges" they faced would "worsen over time".

As part of the plans, the three hospitals will share a group CEO - with an interim group chair expected to be appointed later this month.

Each hospital is set to have its own executive managing director.

The NHS said a group model would help to deliver better outcomes for people with cancer, secure funding to rebuild both the JPH and QEH and start the roll-out of a single electronic patient record system across all three hospitals.

Thousands of props are currently holding up some ceilings at the QEH in King's Lynn

NHS England has approved the plans, first revealed in December.

A phased implementation is expected to take six months.

Alex Stewart, chief executive of the patient watchdog Healthwatch Norfolk, said he was "broadly supportive" of the proposals.

"The mix of a single decision-making process coupled with the individual management on each site should make for much better targeting of resources and care," he said.

"We appreciate it is early days, and it is important that patients and the communities they live in have a say on the precise detail of what this means.

"Healthwatch Norfolk is happy to work with residents to make sure their views feed into the more detailed work which will happen in the months ahead to shape services and care under this new hospital management structure."