A major milestone has been reached following the approval of the Full Business Case for a single NHS Trust to provide mental health, community and learning disability services to people across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The Boards of Solent NHS Trust, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust and the Isle of Wight Trust signed off the proposal for the creation of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which will come into being in April 2024, subject to final approval from NHS England. Under these arrangements, Southern Health and Solent, together with the Community, Mental Health and Learning Disability services of the Isle of Wight NHS Trust will move into the new organisation in April 2024. In addition, the majority of the Hampshire Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), currently delivered by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, will transfer into Southern Health, prior to the creation of the new organisation. The Isle of Wight NHS Trust will continue to deliver acute and ambulance services for the Island population, working in partnership with Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust and South Central Ambulance Service. The driving factors behind the creation of the new Trust are the need to transform services to meet increasing demand and complexity of health issues, and to improve the consistency of care across the region. An independent review in 2022 found that a combined Trust was required in order to deliver sustainable services which would reduce health inequalities, provide consistent and accessible local care, and improve outcomes for all communities across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Under the banner of Project Fusion, the Trusts have worked together to create a Full Business Case which outlines the benefits to patients, the wider community and the 12,500 members of staff who currently deliver community and mental health services for the existing Trusts. Ron Shields, Chief Executive Officer Designate for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“As individual Trusts, we have worked diligently to provide great care to our communities, but we see the potential to reduce health inequalities and truly deliver to a higher standard, with greater effectiveness, by combining our workforce, our strengths and expertise. “Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust will be a significant voice in health and care, raising the profile of the importance of mental health, learning disability and community services to the life outcomes of our population. “As the largest provider of its kind in England we will attract more people to work with us, enabling us to further improve services and reach those we serve in the ways in which they most need us to.”
The Full Business Case will now be reviewed by NHS England to provide additional oversight and support. These proposals are fully supported by the NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB). Talking about the signing of the FBC by the existing trusts, Maggie MacIsaac, Chief Executive Officer of the NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board, said:
“This is a significant and positive development in the move towards a new, single community and mental health and learning disability service provider for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. All involved have the current and future health needs of our communities at the forefront of their minds and are using this unique opportunity to shape services that will transform the lives of our communities. The NHS Integrated Care Board will review the proposal with this aim in mind.”
Following the review of the Full Business Case by NHS England, it is anticipated that Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust will come into being on 1st April 2024 with services continuing to be delivered at a local level across the area.
They will move all founding to the mainland. Just like they have been with policing and other services. Look forward to more travel to the mainland if you need their help. Tories ethos, sell everything that is not bolted down. NHS is the next one. Meanwhile we give more money to oil companies than we spend on education.
This IS the NHS. Although you can be forgiven as none of them wear uniforms or treat patients. They just invent highly paid non jobs and suck the funding away from front line services
This is a VERY bad idea, just means we will get less services on the island. More managers making stupid decisions. Forget the business case, what about people, they are what matter not how much this and that is costing. Oh well don’t get ill.
The existing hospital is too small to be viable, therefore it needs to join with another on the mainland, and share resources.
Before the clowns come on here bleating “Well make the hospital bigger”, it is all to do with being able to recruit and retain staff. Highly qualified Consultants don’t want to live in this backwater, as this is a dead end for a career, however if you can get them to cover the island by being based on the mainland then they will.
Can you not read. Acute Services ie the Hospital and Ambulance Services will remain as they are, as the Isle of Wight NHS Trust. Who’s the clown now?
You have just hit the nail on the head fair and square!
Lack of quality Nurses and Doctors is the problem, majority of them
seem clueless and useless.
Maybe at last the hoards of gravy train managers at St Mary’s will be caught out and sacked. When I started there in the 80s on front-line, there was a few administrators and some office staff, now the place is full of people making up paperwork to justify their jobs and nepotism junkies employing their relatives and mates instead of treating patients. If the public knew what really goes on, there would be an outcry.
Hopefully it wont mean lots spent in re-branding with signs and stationary etc
Terry davis was right, most people are like cattle
Horrible idea! The Island will be badly neglected with funding concentrated on the mainland, the idea being that Islanders can travel for treatment. Except they cannot, given that Islanders are held to ransom by extortionate unaffordable ferry fares,
And P I there are many who are unable to travel to and from the mainland or are able afford to! Those with mental illness for and example..
Too many ‘Trusts’ to be trusted here. Then there are the ‘boards’. All populated by well paid, non medical ‘managers’ spouting weasle words.