A major milestone has been reached today with the approval of the Full Business Case for a single NHS Trust to provide mental health, community and learning disability services to people across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
The Boards of Solent NHS Trust, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust and the Isle of Wight Trust signed off the proposal for the creation of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which will come in to being in April 2024, subject to final approval from NHS England. Under these arrangements Southern Health and Solent, together with the Community, Mental Health and Learning Disability services of the Isle of Wight NHS Trust will move into the new organisation in April 2024. In addition, the majority of the Hampshire Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), currently delivered by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, will transfer into Southern Health, prior to the creation of the new organisation.
The Isle of Wight NHS Trust will continue to deliver acute and ambulance services for the Island population, working in partnership with Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust and South Central Ambulance Service.
The driving factors behind the creation of the new Trust are the need to transform services to meet increasing demand and complexity of health issues, and to improve the consistency of care across the region. An independent review in 2022 found that a combined Trust was required in order to deliver sustainable services which would reduce health inequalities, provide consistent and accessible local care, and improve outcomes for all communities across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
Under the banner of Project Fusion, the Trusts have worked together to create a Full Business Case which outlines the benefits to patients, the wider community and the 12, 500 members of staff who currently deliver community and mental health services for the existing Trusts.
Ron Shields, Chief Executive Officer Designate for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said “As individual Trusts, we have worked diligently to provide great care to our communities, but we see the potential to reduce health inequalities and truly deliver to a higher standard, with greater effectiveness, by combining our workforce, our strengths and expertise. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust will be a significant voice in health and care, raising the profile of the importance of mental health, learning disability and community services to the life outcomes of our population. As the largest provider of its kind in England we will attract more people to work with us, enabling us to further improve services and reach those we serve in the ways in which they most need us to.”
The Full Business Case will now be reviewed by NHS England to provide additional oversight and support. These proposals are fully supported by the NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB). Talking about the signing of the FBC by the existing trusts, Maggie MacIsaac, Chief Executive Officer of the NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board, said:
“This is a significant and positive development in the move towards a new, single community and mental health and learning disability service provider for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. All involved have the current and future health needs of our communities at the forefront of their minds and are using this unique opportunity to shape services that will transform the lives of our communities. The NHS Integrated Care Board will review the proposal with this aim in mind.”
Following the review of the Full Business Case by NHS England, it is anticipated that Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust will come into being on 1 April 2024 with services continuing to be delivered at a local level across the area.
Until then, all existing partners and the NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board continue to invite stakeholders, including the third sector, community groups and service users to provide their views and inform the development of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. This can be done by contacting project@fusion.hiow.nhs.uk or visiting www.fusion.hiow.nhs.uk
- You can read a summary of the Full Business Case document here.
- For more information, please email project@fusion.hiow.nhs.uk
- Your feedback on Project Fusion is important, you can share yours here: https://eu.surveymonkey.com/r/RVSGQGH