George Eliot hospital takeover plans approved by government

[dutchman]

Plans which could see a private firm run a Warwickshire hospital have been recommended for approval by the Department of Health.



The NHS Trust Development Authority (NTDA) said the George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton could be taken over by "a non-NHS organisation" or another trust.

It was put in special measures earlier this year because of major failings.

The NTDA will decide whether to advertise for bids for the running of the hospital at a board meeting later.

If the hospital was to be taken over by a private company, it would become the second in two years after Circle Health took over the running of Hinchingbrooke Health Care Trust in Cambridgeshire in February 2012.

The NTDA board paper said it would be "prudent" for services at the George Eliot hospital to be run by a "strategic partner" by April 2015.

It said that "an open procurement process" should take place in order to attract proposals from another NHS trust or private companies.

The George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust provides hospital and community services for about 290,000 patients.

The hospital had the highest death rate in England in 2011.

It was one of 11 trusts placed into special measures in July following a national review of mortality by the health service's medical director, Sir Bruce Keogh.

The trust said it had been seeking a partner "via a competitive procurement process" for several months.

A statement on the trust website said: "We are not in the position to achieve foundation trust status as a standalone organisation, due to financial and clinical considerations. "

It said merging with another trust or a private company was "the most appropriate option".

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George Eliot Hospital: NHS trust to stay in control



A Warwickshire hospital put in special measures after major failings will no longer face a takeover, the NHS has said.

The NHS Trust Development Authority (NTDA) said "significant improvements" had been made at the George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton.

Last year, bids were invited from other NHS trusts and private firms to take on the struggling hospital.

One NHS trust said it was "extremely disappointed" by the U-turn.

Unison, the UK's largest union, said the hospital being "pulled back from the brink of privatisation" was a "victory for common sense".

Unite welcomed the decision, adding: "This outcome is of national significance and should be used as a model for turning around local hospitals which experience difficulties."

A Care Quality Commission inspection on 29 April will assess whether the hospital needs to remain in special measures.

'Work to do'

Trust chief executive Kevin McGee said staff had worked "tirelessly".

"This is an excellent example of what can be achieved when the right package of support is put in place and staff work together towards a common goal," he said.

David Flory, chief executive of the NTDA, said his team had seen "real improvement" but said "there is clearly a great deal of work still to do".

Three organisations, Care UK, Circle Health and South Warwickshire NHS Hospital Trust, submitted bids to take over the management of the hospital.

Glen Burley from South Warwickshire NHS Hospital Trust said he was "extremely disappointed with the decision to stop the process".

"We firmly believe that an integrated Warwickshire organisation is best for patients and the sustainability of the health economy across Coventry and Warwickshire," he said.

The University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust also bid, but later withdrew its proposal to focus on its own "future sustainability".