Hospital set to form part of new group model in Norfolk

Lynn’s hospital is set to join with two others as part of a new group model aimed at streamlining decision-making.Yesterday, a full case was submitted for establishing a new set-up consisting of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and the James Paget University Hospital in Great Yarmouth.The group will be called the Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group, although each of the hospitals will continue to operate under their own names.

With approval having been given from NHS England, an interim group chair will be appointed later this month – with the substantive group CEO and hospital executive managing directors appointed in April.With these key posts having been filled, a six-month phased implementation of the group model will begin.Group models across the NHS vary according to the needs of the organisations within them. In the case of the three Norfolk hospitals, there will be a single chair and a single chief executive and a single set of executive and non-executive directors across the three.

Each hospital will have an executive managing director who will be a full member of the group board. In a joint statement, the chairs of all three hospitals said: “The hospitals will be able to share resources more effectively helping to tackle the large-scale challenges they face with a single unified approach.“At the same time locally focused delivery of healthcare will continue to meet the specific needs of communities. “A group model will help ensure there is a reduction in unwarranted variation of healthcare for patients across the county and improve patient care and outcomes.“Having both a single decision-making process across the three hospitals combined with strong site leadership will help optimise efficiency.”Tracey Bleakley, chief executive of NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board, said: “The case for change shows that closer working between our three hospital trusts will help us to achieve the things that matter most to patients, such as tackling waiting lists and ensuring people can be treated quickly in an emergency. “The change will also improve efficiency and deliver better value for money, which is vital at a time when there is real pressure on NHS finances.“Importantly, it will deliver these improvements while also recognising the different needs of the communities the hospitals each serve.”It is not believed that the creation of this new group will affect the QEH rebuild.Those involved say the group model will help create the opportunity to: • Deliver a consistent best practice model of urgent and emergency care with a particular focus on frailty• Implement safe and sustainable care models• Level up outcomes and access by optimising elective care pathways• Tackle some of the underlying financial challenges facing the hospitals • Co-ordinate priorities around local services and provide the hospitals with autonomy to advance work with partners in place settings• Deliver better outcomes for people with cancer at all stages of the pathway• Ensure a co-ordinated approach to the development of the two new hospitals in Lynn and Gorleston• Make the most effective use of workforce capacity • Improve staff offer and thus retention• Enhance research, training, and innovation• Leverage better negotiation, purchasing and investment power• Ensure an aligned approach to strategy, transformation, and planning functionsThe move to a group model builds up on the work of the Norfolk and Waveney Acute Hospital Collaborative (NWAHC) which was established in 2020 to foster closer working between Norfolk’s three hospitals with the aim of enhancing patient care and experience.