Walsall and Wolverhampton hospital trusts merger 'a step in the wrong direction' - MP

Valerie Vaz said concerns had been raised over a potential merger between Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust – a move she said would be “completely inappropriate” for people in Walsall.

In April it emerged that Wolverhampton trust boss David Loughton had been made the interim chief executive at the Walsall trust, which was this week issued with a warning notice following a damning Care Quality Commission report.

The trusts already share a chairman in Professor Steve Field.

The report highlighted a number of areas of concern at Walsall Manor Hospital, including staffing and governance.

Walsall South MP Ms Vaz said: “I am concerned about the change of senior leadership at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust.

“The recently appointed chief executive and chair of Walsall Healthcare Trust both hold the same roles at Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust.

“It is unclear why executive leadership roles in two separate NHS trusts are being held concurrently by the same individuals, particularly given the challenges that need to be addressed at Walsall Manor.

“Since these appointments, I have been contacted with a number of concerns about the possibility of a merger between Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust.

“Any such merger would be a step in the wrong direction and completely inappropriate for the needs of people in Walsall.”

Transparency

Ms Vaz said she has written to the regional director of NHS Improvement with her concerns and had also been in contact with Sir Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England.

She added: “It is essential Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust is led with transparency and accountability so that the necessary improvements identified in this report are made.”

Prof Loughton said he agreed that Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust "absolutely needs to be led with transparency and accountability".

“I have been very clear that the responsibility for the improvements identified in the CQC report are an organisation-wide responsibility and we, as executive leaders, owe it to our committed and dedicated staff to support them and help them to provide the safe, high quality care that our communities deserve," he added.

“NHS trusts and other healthcare organisations consistently work collaboratively across the country and in Walsall and Wolverhampton we are strengthening the partnership links that already exist.

"Wherever there is an opportunity to learn from each other and enhance the services we provide we are going to explore this as our patients and families would rightly expect.

“Other executive teams have concurrent roles and if that is in the best interests of the organisation and it targets skills and experience in the best way it is entirely appropriate to adopt the same approach."

The CQC has ordered Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust to make significant improvements to medical services within three months.

Before Mr Loughton’s appointment in Walsall the trust had been led by interim boss Daren Fradgley, who took over in January after chief executive Richard Beeken was sent over to lead Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust (SWBT).

The chief executive of the Sandwell trust, Toby Lewis, has now been on sick leave for 10 months.

Speculation over hospital trust mergers in the Black Country has been rife over the past 12 months, and last July bosses strenuously denied that SWBT was to be broken up and split between other trusts.