Hospital bosses have revealed that the trust which runs Queen's Hospital in Burton could save almost £10 million next year should the proposed merger with Royal Derby go through.

A final business case is being drawn up for the merger between Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS, which runs the Royal Derby Hospital.

Should the move go ahead, health services currently under the umbrella of the two governing trusts, will combine into one trust under a new name, which is yet to be announced.

The Burton trust currently oversees Queen's Hospital in Burton, as well as community hospitals in Lichfield and Tamworth, which are Samuel Johnson Community Hospital and Sir Robert Peel Hospital, respectively.

The Derby trust meanwhile operates the Royal Derby Hospital, in Uttoxeter Road, and the London Road Community Hospital, also in Derby.

In November, hospital bosses warned that 'hospital services will be lost in Burton if the town's proposed NHS merger fails to go ahead.'

At a meeting of the scrutiny committee of East Staffordshire Borough Council on Wednesday, January 24, chief executive of the Burton Trust, Helen Scott-South made a presentation updating the council on the proposed scheme.

Helen Scott-South will retire should the merger go ahead as planned
Helen Scott-South will retire should the merger go ahead as planned

Mrs Scott-South has already confirmed she will retire after more than 40 years with the NHS should the merger go through, with her counterpart at Derby hospitals, Gavin Boyle, being handed the new role.

She confirmed that £23 million in total could be saved by the merger, with the Burton trust saving £9.5m and the remaining £13.5m saved in Derby.

She said: "The £23 million is combined on top of what we would do as independent organisations, which for this trust will be £9.5 million next year.

"There are two plans – one will be national benchmarking for both existing organisations around productivity in theatres and lengths of stay.

The Burton and Derby hospital trusts merger so far

Planning documents for the proposed merger were submitted at the end of 2017.

Earlier, in June 2017, it was announced at a Healthwatch meeting that the outline business case for the partnership of the organisations, with a recommendation to merge, was approved.

Fears have been raised by many, particularly in Burton, that the hospital could lose services, including the accident and emergency department.

Burton and Derby hospital merger

The Burton Mail, as well as the town’s MP Andrew Griffiths, joined the fight to keep it open.

At the Healthwatch meeting it was confirmed by bosses from both respective trusts, Helen Scott-South from Burton and Gavin Boyle from Derby that the A&E department would not close.

A new trust will be formed, should the current plans go ahead, under a new combined title. The chairman will be John Rivers, the current chairman of both Derby and Burton trusts, and chief executive of Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Gavin Boyle, will take up the same role at the new trust.

"The combined plan will focus on the workforce savings particularly around agency use, increased activity in Derby city and Tamworth theatres and treating patients more quickly and back office savings.

"These will be achieved through vacancies and natural wastage."

Mrs Scott-South insisted that the plan to combine the two trusts is not money-motivated, but the figure does represent a 'significant saving.'

She continued: "£23 million is a significant saving over and above the savings we would make as independent organisations and therefore relevant. The patient benefits are, however, greater than the savings."

Queen's Hospital is just one of the hospitals under the trust's umbrella
Burton's Queen's Hospital

The strategic outline case of the merger has recently been published. It gives details of how the merger will work.

In the executive summary of the document, the trusts have highlighted ideas that they claim will benefit patients.

The first relates to shortened patient pathways, such as in the cardiology department, "where patients could receive diagnostic and interventional procedures in the same session rather than two separate treatments at separate sites."

There will be a further push for supporting care at home or closer to home. Patients with diabetes could have easier access to care, with more access to home dialysis.

Core services will be strengthened, the report details: "Patients attending accident and emergency would benefit as we reduce workforce shortages by joining forces to grow and develop our staff, using innovative staff training, recruitment, retention and development programmes.

"Addressing key workforce challenges, for example reduced staff shortages in general and acute medicine, improving patient flow from accident and emergency into the acute hospital sites.

"Improving quality and reducing variation, for example patients across Derbyshire and East Staffordshire will receive the same breast screening service offer, reducing waiting times."

The report also details that clinical outcomes will improve, such as patients potentially having access to hyper acute stroke services from a large and more specialised unit, with greater access to 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week diagnostics.

Gavin Boyle will become the chief executive of the proposed combined trust between Burton and Derby
Gavin Boyle will become the chief executive of the proposed combined trust between Burton and Derby

Patients could also see a reduction in their length of stay when receiving surgical services, reducing hand-offs, when a patient is sent to a different hospital for treatment, and duplication in processes when being treated.

Organisers are hoping this will also see a better use of the community hospitals in Tamworth, Lichfield and Derby, with patients potentially receiving endoscopy services closer to home, with reduced waiting times.