Trust leaders accused of focusing on 'institutional preservation'

The council is currently leading a review of hospital services in the city, and HSJ has previously highlighted friction over the future of North Manchester General Hospital.

In late February, it was suddenly announced that Pennine Acute’s chief executive, Gillian Fairfield, was going on secondment to Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust. Sir David Dalton, of Salford Royal Foundation Trust, is now in the role on an interim basis.

At a health and wellbeing board meeting on Wednesday, Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, said changes to hospital services across north Manchester, Bury, Oldham and Rochdale would need to tie in with the “locality plans” being developed in each area.

He added: “I’ll make a second point though, which is potentially slightly more controversial.

“One of the issues with Pennine Acute Trust’s business plan under its previous management is it prioritised institutional preservation rather than meeting the locality plans of the four areas…

“We have to have an approach that’s about meeting health needs rather than the institutional needs of any particular institution.”

Since the devolution deal for Greater Manchester was announced last year, the city council has taken an increasingly prominent role in the transformation of health services, and is in the process of forming a joint commissioning body with the three CCGs. This falls short of a formal merger, but this will be considered in the long term.

Dr Fairfield was defended at the meeting by Sir Mike Deegan, chief executive of Central Manchester University Hospitals Foundation Trust, who said Pennine Acute’s previous leadership had been “actively engaged” in the service reviews.

Dr Fairfield was approached for comment.