Humber Health Partnership’s organisational structure review is drawing to a close, with its conclusions and recommendations expected to be considered by the Boards later this month (September).
Since last autumn, the Partnership has taken an open, honest and clinically led approach to understanding the long-standing challenges facing Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust.
That work led to the Partnership’s first clinically led Improvement Plan, published in January. It brought together a clearer shared understanding of the challenges affecting the two organisations and the work needed to support sustained improvement.
The organisational structure review, supported by NHS England through the Intensive Recovery Programme and with independent input from Carnall Farrar, was the next stage in that journey.
It was undertaken because the evidence showed that a number of the challenges facing the Partnership are deep-rooted, historic and structural, rather than simply operational.
The review has considered a wide range of evidence about how the two trusts are currently organised and whether different arrangements would better support patients, colleagues and long-term sustainability, and a stronger basis for sustained improvement.
As part of this work, the review has engaged with clinical leaders, senior colleagues, commissioners and key partner organisations. It has also reviewed information relating to performance, quality, workforce, finance and governance.
The review has considered whether HUTH and NLAG should work more closely together through a more integrated model, or whether separate, more locally accountable arrangements would provide a stronger foundation for the future.
The work is now being finalised and the Partnership’s Boards in-Common are expected to receive its conclusions this month (September), and agree a way forward and next steps.
Alan Downey, Chair of Humber Health Partnership, said: “The purpose of this review has always been to understand which organisational arrangements will give our teams the best possible support to provide safe, high-quality and sustainable care for patients across our communities.
“It has been a thorough piece of work, informed by evidence and by the experience of clinical leaders, colleagues and key partners.
“We recognise the level of interest in the review and the range of views that have been expressed. The Boards will consider the evidence and recommendations carefully, with patients’ best interests at the heart of the agreed way forward and next steps.”
Lyn Simpson, Group Chief Executive of Humber Health Partnership, said: “Patients rightly expect us to organise ourselves in the way that gives our clinical teams the best chance of providing consistently good care.
“Our Improvement Plan began the work of understanding the long-standing challenges facing both trusts. This review has taken that work further by looking at what organisational arrangements will best provide the long-term sustainability needed to improve care and support our colleagues.
“I am grateful to everyone who has contributed to the review. Once the work is complete, the Boards will receive and carefully consider its conclusions with a clear focus on what will best support patients, colleagues and sustained improvement for the long-term.”