Merging Tees hospitals bosses' roles a 'slippery slope'

Stockton's hospital has 10 years left before it needs replacing

Efforts to merge top jobs at Teesside's two health trusts have led to concern for patients north of the river.

It is understood one chief executive could oversee North Tees, which needs a new hospital, and South Tees, which has faced long-standing financial woes.

Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham opposed any move and said he feared a "slippery slope" to an overall merger.

The Teesside trusts did not comment on the possible job merger reports but said the NHS faced a "huge challenge".

A "urgent meeting" involving some senior health and council bosses was held earlier.

Hartlepool Council's Independent leader Shane Moore, who attended the meeting, told BBC Radio Tees, the "desire" to have a shared chief executive role was coming from South Tees.

When asked if he thought it was a "fast track to a merger", he said: "It is and a lot of what we heard today unfortunately points in that direction.

"We are not against collaboration - it happens already between the two trusts and I think there's a lot to be learned from both sides in doing that collaborative work.

"But that collaboration doesn't need to be rushed, it doesn't need to be fast-tracked into a full-blown merger and it certainly doesn't mean sharing a bank account which is another one of our big concerns".

Hartlepool and Stockton councils will now hold a joint scrutiny investigation into proposals.

'Dingy and cluttered hospital'

North Tees and South Tees NHS trusts are the area's largest employers - with almost 15,000 staff between them.

The last inspection of Middlesbrough-based South Tees by the Care Quality Commission in July 2019 found it required improvement. The watchdog is set to return next year.

It has also faced long-standing financial headaches - compounded by a Private Finance Initiative deal costing the trust more than £1m a week, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Meanwhile, neighbouring North Tees and Hartlepool was rated a "good" trust in 2018 - its latest inspection.

However, the Stockton hospital - which opened in the 1960s - has endured leaky roofs and been branded as "dingy and cluttered".

A funding bid has been submitted to replace it, estimated to cost £380m, as the site is said to have just 10 years left.

A PFI deal costs the South Tees trust, which includes Hartlepool, over £1m a week

Labour MP Mr Cunningham described any plans to merge the chief executive roles as "extremely premature", adding it would lead to the "financially sound" north trust propping up the "deeply in debt" south.

"There should be no further joint arrangements until South Tees gets its house in order," he said.

"To do so beforehand would be lumbering North Tees trust with a millstone around its neck - and this could significantly impact the service our trust provides to people and communities like those in Stockton North."

Mr Cunningham has written to health minister Edward Argar, as well as Prof Derek Bell, the joint chairman of South Tees and North Tees, and Hartlepool council of governors.

A joint statement from both Teesside trusts added that during challenging times both have remained "dedicated" to providing services that "reflect the aspirations of the communities we serve".

"Our population health plans focused on tackling health inequalities and improving outcomes for our local communities cannot and will not be realised by our organisations alone," it added.

"The reality for our region is that we must commit wholeheartedly to transparent collaboration."