Bidders for DGH takeover revealed
One of England’s biggest hospital trusts and one of its highest performing foundation trusts are battling to take over a district general hospital, HSJ can reveal.
In September West Middlesex University Hospital in London became the latest district general to announce it was unviable and would look for merger partners
This week’s HSJ Local briefing reveals Imperial College Healthcare Trust and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Foundation Trust have both bid to take over the £149m-turnover trust.
A third, surprise, bidder also threw its hat in the ring.
The decision could be taken at West Middlesex’s December board meeting and comes as NHS London tries to get more of the capital’s trusts through the Monitor authorisation process before its abolition next April.
The briefing also reveals the situation faced by Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals Trust after the collapse of its merger bid and the question mark hanging over Whittington Health Trust’s future.
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Readers' comments (7)
Tom Smith | 20-Nov-2012 2:49 pm
And the surprise bidder is...?
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Tom Smith | 20-Nov-2012 2:51 pm
Okay, I've read the briefing now. The word 'surprise' made me look. The answer 'Hillingdon' wasn't quite what I expected...
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Patrick Newman | 20-Nov-2012 3:18 pm
As our healthcare trusts gather into ever bigger organisations how is the 'power' relationship with CCG's developing. What choice is possible if such an organisation dominates the patches of several CCG's. Will monitor step in and declare such takeovers as anti competitive when the 'quarry' is failing/unviable?
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Anonymous | 21-Nov-2012 5:04 am
Why does everyone think that mergers are the solution? Bigger is not always better....
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Anonymous | 21-Nov-2012 12:47 pm
Be a bit difficult for Monitor to step in, as it's their rules that define non-viability.
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Anonymous | 23-Nov-2012 1:20 pm
As Imperial seem to be failing on all financial and quality indicators, with no obvious solution in sight, why should they be in the running for West Mid?? Hillingdon taking them on sounds quite sensible, actually.
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Anonymous | 23-Nov-2012 4:00 pm
The same Imperial that has had to "offer an alternative" for its two week cancer waits to GPs because it has not met national cancer standards?
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