Fears over Sandwell super hospital funding
Health chiefs fear their plans for how a £350 million super hospital will be funded and run could be thrown into chaos after possible changes to a partnership were revealed.
Toby Lewis, chief executive of the trust which will run the Midland Metropolitan Hospital to serve Sandwell, said its business plan could be 'fatally undermined' by possible changes.
The concerns surround the Black Country Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) and the possible removal of West Birmingham from it.
Changes to the geographical make-up of STPs are being considered and there are fears that if West Birmingham is taken out it could affect the amount of funding diverted to the region as it would see the population in the STP plummet - potentially impacting on plans for the Midland Met.
The STP is made up of hospital trusts, clinical commissioning groups and councils across the West Midlands and are five-year plans covering all aspects of NHS spending in the region.
Sandwell hospital trust bosses are understood to have planned for the Midland Met and drawn up the business plan on the assumption of West Birmingham remaining part of the agreement.
The new hospital in Grove Lane will be run by the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust and will also serve parts of the second city.
In a report to board members, Mr Lewis wrote: "Discussions continue about the right governance model for the STP.
"There remain nationally discussions about whether 44 is the right number of STPs.
"There is, we understand, a recognition that any move to remove west Birmingham from the black country STP would fatally undermine the business case for Midland Met approved in October 2015."
And Mr Lewis told the Express & Star: "The new Midland Metropolitan Hospital, construction of which is well under way, will serve the West Birmingham and Sandwell population, with a purpose-built facility for acutely unwell people, those who need emergency care and maternity deliveries.
"Health service plans relating to the Black Country and West Birmingham could affect how systems are governed, managed, and funded, and that is of concern."
It is the latest concern facing Midland Met chiefs who are currently locked in a dispute with the CCG over a proposed £12 million cut in funding for next year, when the hospital is due to open.
The opening of the Midland Met will see A&E and maternity services scaled down at both Sandwell General and City Hospital.
