The business case for the Burton-Derby NHS merger is almost complete - outlining the benefits for patient care throughout the area.

Governors at Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will next week be given the chance to take a look at a document explaining how the proposed merger with the Derby trust will benefit the area.

The governors from the Burton trust will meet with their counterparts from Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to review the patient business case.

Plans to merge the two trusts are well underway, with chief executives from both currently working on a final business plan.

Affected hospitals include the Royal Derby Hospital and Queen's Hospital, in Burton, along with a number of community hospitals under the respective trusts' umbrellas.

These include Sir Robert Peel Community Hospital in Tamworth and Samuel Johnson Community Hospital, in Lichfield, which both belong to the Burton Trust, and London Road Community Hospital, also in Derby.

It was revealed at a council of governors meeting, held at Queen's Hospital on Thursday, November 16 that NHS Improvement, an organisation set up to support foundation trusts and NHS trusts, by overseeing them, had reviewed the plan and gave it positive feedback.

NHSI hold providers to account and intervene where necessary to help the trusts meet short-term and long-term challenges.

John Rivers, the chairman of both trusts, said that a lot of work was underway to make sure the document was ready.

Queen's Hospital in Burton
Queen's Hospital in Burton

Mr Rivers said: "A great deal of work has been going on in the last few weeks, and we are very close to completing what is known as the patient business case. That is a substantial document setting out the rationale on the clinical basis of why the collaboration and indeed the merger would be a benefit to the population.

"The document has had substantial consideration from NHSI, at a meeting we held three or four weeks ago. Everything they had to say was extremely positive, they considered the case very well written, on the other hand they made some suggestions on how improvements could be made.

"The plan is to bring this plan to the strategic planning board on Monday and also to a joint meeting of governors from both trusts on Thursday next week. What we really want to do is to go through this with both sets of Governors and explain in depth what is there."

The final business case, which will detail the full case for merging the two trusts, will also be reviewed by the boards and governors of the trusts in December, with release to the public estimated in either February or December.

Mr Rivers continued: "A second large document, what is known as the final business case, that document will be given to both boards from both trusts in December.

"And at that stage we would propose to share it with both sets of governors for their observation and comments because you can only submit it once the competition and market authority have given their response to the patient business case.

"That will not happen until early February, maybe late January. Only then will we release the final business case."

Currently, the only document that is freely readable for the public is the outline business case, which sets out the preliminary thoughts about the merger.

This can be viewed online at http://www.burtonderbycollaboration.co.uk/