Trusts plan three-way merger

Queen Victoria Hospital Foundation Trust, which is based in East Grinstead in Sussex, has a turnover of just £70m and faces increasing problems with financial sustainability.

Its neighbours, Brighton and Sussex University Hospital and Western Sussex Hospitals FT, have already said they want to merge from April next year, which would create a large provider with a turnover of more than £1bn.

Now the board of the QVH will set out a potential timeline which could see it join the merged organisation from October next year. A merger would require the support of the trust’s governors, as well as national approvals.

In a document put on its website, the trust says its size means it relies too much on key individuals with just one person responsible for some roles. It also does not have the full range of clinical services to support very unwell patients – something which has already led to children with burns who require overnight stays having to be treated elsewhere, and is likely to lead to adult burns inpatients being treated at the major trauma centre in Brighton.

In 2019-20 the trust made a loss of £9.2m, and it has warned it will be in deficit for several more years. It says being part of a larger organisation could lead to better utilisation of clinics and theatres and greater use of technology.

“In the future, working with these other hospitals could also help us to make changes to services for the benefit of patients,” it adds.

QVH provides reconstructive surgery, burns care and rehabilitation services, and also has a minor injuries unit. No service changes are planned at this stage but the trust says it is working with other hospitals on a Sussex-wide clinical strategy which will provide clarity on which services are provided at which sites.

It also suggests it could provide other hospitals with rapid diagnostics such as CT and MRI scanning.