Royal Free considers joint venture with specialist trust

A report submitted to the north London teaching hospital’s most recent board meeting showed it was considering a memorandum of understanding with the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Trust.

This would include exploring the possibility of setting up a “joint venture of elective orthopaedics” on the Chase Farm site, which the Royal Free took over when it acquired Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals Trust in July 2014.

The report by Royal Free chief executive David Sloman stressed the proposed memorandum of understanding was “not a transaction for acquisition or merger” between his £800m-turnover organisation and its £132m-turnover neighbour.

The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Trust has struggled to obtain foundation status and has repeatedly failed to get government backing for a refurbishment of its estate in Stanmore, north London.

Mr Sloman’s report said: “Whilst the MOU and form of partnership are being developed the RNOH will not develop equivalent preferred partnership working with other organisations – this will need to be defined clearly in the MOU as the RNOH already works with many other organisations in the provision of its clinical and non-clinical support services.”

It added: “The partnership will be based on closer clinically led joint working aimed at consolidating routine and specialised work into the right critical mass, developing joint working on clinical support services and, potentially, back office functions.”

There will be a review of all clinical and non-clinical support services provided to Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Trust to consider whether to build on existing services provided by the Royal Free to the RNOH such as pathology. The Royal Free will also have input into the RNOH’s consideration of the most appropriate model for paediatric medical cover at Stanmore.