The Group model
By forming a Group model, both Trusts believe they can deliver better care for patients and a better experience for staff through closer integration. A Group model will build on the strong foundations that already exist to continue to strengthen local services, improve resilience and performance and deliver value for taxpayers.
The aims of the Group model are to provide a united and stronger provider voice, that works together with partners, to respond to the collective challenges faced across the health and care system. Acting as one NHS and working at scale, the Trusts believe shared leadership will address the clinical, performance and financial pressures and enable the shift towards a preventative and neighbourhood service to meet the needs of an ageing and growing population.
Delivering high quality, patient centred care, and an improved patient experience is the overarching priority. Both organisations have shared priorities, aligned with the national 10 Year plan:
- Deliver more care and resources in the community, supported by two thriving acute hospitals (hospital to community). The Group will play a leading role in transforming neighbourhood health services working with primary care and other partners.
- Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme and Hospitals Transformation Programme.
- Increased focus on prevention and tackling inequalities through neighbourhood working (sickness to prevention).
- Developing our workforce – right staff, with the right skills, in the right places and at the right times.
- Collective focus on analogue to digital agenda, optimising the opportunities of vertical integration to streamline patient pathways.
- Modern clinical models and ways of working, with the right tools and environment.
- Supporting the health and wellbeing for staff.
- Building an inclusive workforce – everyone has a voice and is valued.
Both boards recognise they cannot deliver this transformation in isolation and a shared leadership is critical to delivering the ambitious plans and realising the step-change in care for patients.
Listening to feedback from staff, partners, volunteers, patient and community representatives during Summer 2025, the Case for Change, on the Trusts’ websites, sets out the benefits, issues, risks and mitigations of the two Trusts working more closely together. The Trusts will remain as separate statutory organisations, with a shared leadership across both organisations to oversee strategy and service delivery. A Transition Committee has been established to ensure a seamless transition and ongoing engagement to formalise the Group.
The Group model alone is not a panacea for improving performance. However, it allows the trusts to use scale as a platform and an enabler for driving improvements in clinical, operational and financial performance. Both Boards are committed to driving quality improvement, developing more seamless patient pathways for residents of all ages, growing and supporting the workforce and redesigning models of care to deliver a more modern NHS. The Group model can both enable these efforts and amplify their benefit for all the communities we serve.
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