Care-share plan may hit patients in Staffordshire

PATIENTS may have to travel further afield for treatment as part of an agreement to share more health services in Staffordshire.

The trust running Stafford Hospital is poised to sign a formal agreement with the University Hospital of North Staf-fordshire NHS Trust. Clinical services and resources could be shared and a number of staff will work across both trusts.

But bosses insist "wherever possible" healthcare, including emergency services, will be provided as close to where people live as possible. They say services will only be centralised where local provision is not "clinically or financially viable".

The trusts say they will continue to offer patients a choice of where they go for their care – Stoke, Stafford or Cannock – as far as is clinically and financially feasible.

Hospital chiefs are set to sign a memorandum of understanding, which will have to be approved by both trusts, later this week.

Lyn Hill-Tout, chief executive of Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, said: "This will establish a framework for formal partnership working between our two organisations and build on the joint clinical working which is already happening.

"Our aim is to improve the quality of healthcare services for all of our patients and maximise opportunities for staff, so that we build resilience for clinical services being retained in South Staffordshire."

The two health trusts have already been working together for a number of years.

Ear, nose and throat services at Stafford have been provided by consultants from both trusts and in April, all major and emergency vascular surgery moved from Stafford to a new vascular centre in the north of the county.

Campaigners today said the focus must be on safety.

Julie Bailey, from campaign group Cure the NHS, said: "As far as Cure The NHS is concerned, all we want is the safest possible care.

"As long as it is the safest possible care, whichever hospital it is at, we would welcome it."

Both NHS Trusts are currently looking to make savings.

Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust failed to meet its financial duties in each of the last two years, with an operating deficit of £16.5m in 2011 to 2012.