Adeline Brown The two major hospital health trusts in North Yorkshire have joined in a unique merger.
After more than two years of discussions, Scarborough Hospital and York Hospital will form a single organisation that will employ 8,500 staff working across 10 hospital sites in North and East Yorkshire.
The Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust – which provided health services in Malton, Whitby, Scarborough and Bridlington – had earlier this month been identified as one of many NHS trusts across England that are no longer financially viable.
Scarborough hospital has accumulated debts of several millions of pounds, and has been subject to regular criticism by regulators over care quality concerns. In 2010, the hospital said it was unlikely to meet the required clinical and financial standards it needed to meet the government’s criteria. Therefore, it is hoped that the merger will provide a better, more efficient range of speciality care.
Scarborough hospital’s more than 2,000 staff will transfer to the York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and its chief executive said he would visit all the hospital sites this week to meet and welcome the staff.
Crowley said: “I’m looking forward to welcoming staff from Scarborough trust into our organisation and to hearing their ideas about how we can continue to provide the very best services for our patients.”
He added that the merger “marks the beginning rather than the end of the process and it is now that much of the detailed work must be undertaken to integrate the two organisations and ensure we’re all working towards bringing the best out of the new trust and making sure we’re offering the very best services that our patients deserve.”
