Dorset NHS trusts merger cleared by competition authority

A six-storey extension is planned at Royal Bournemouth Hospital as part of the £147m merger

A £147m merger of two NHS trusts in Dorset has been cleared to go ahead by the competition authority.

It comes after a previous plan for the trusts that run Poole Hospital and the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals (RBCH) was blocked in 2013.

Concerns had been raised that a merger would "damage patients' interests".

But the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said there had since been "significant changes to policy within the NHS".

Poole Hospital's emergency department will close following completion of the merger

Under the reorganisation, the Royal Bournemouth Hospital will become a major emergency centre and undergo a six-storey extension, while the Poole site will focus on planned care.

Whether it could proceed was dependent on the CMA's consent.

In 2013 its predecessor, the Competition Commission, said a merger would "damage patients' interests by eliminating competition and choice".

'Better value'

In a statement, the CMA said it had investigated the details of the latest plan and said it "does not give rise to competition concerns and should be cleared".

"Since the Competition Commission's decision, there have been significant changes to policy within the NHS that have affected the role that competition plays in the provision of public healthcare services," it said.

"The CMA's investigation in this case has confirmed that competition between NHS hospitals now plays little role in the provision of NHS services in the east Dorset area, with collaboration often viewed as a better way to meet increasing demands for care and deliver better value."

The trusts had hoped to complete the merger by 1 July but this has been delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.