WARRINGTON and Halton Teaching Hospitals and Bridgewater Community Healthcare have today (April 1), officially joined together as one organisation, to become North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust (NCM).
As a single organisation with almost 6,500 dedicated and skilled staff, the trust will deliver hospital and community services for those living in Warrington, Halton and the surrounding areas.
Bringing hospital and community services together will make care more joined up and easier to access, with services delivered in the right place at the right time, providing a better healthcare service for the 340,000 residents who live across the boroughs.
Nikhil Khashu, chief executive, with Cally Littler, advanced practitioner and Carys Riley, acute care nurse specialist outside Warrington Hospital
“Bringing two organisations together is a detailed process which is carefully overseen by NHS England and approved by the government. I’m pleased we’ve ensured this transition is a safe one, with patient care remaining our number one priority. I want to say a massive thank you to all our colleagues and teams for their hard work to get us to this point and to our patients, communities and partners who have supported us.
“Our vision is to deliver the very best healthcare for everyone. As we move forward, we’ll continue to strengthen our services to deliver care that meets the evolving needs of our patients and is sustainable for the future. This is just the beginning of our exciting new chapter, and we look forward to working together to serve our communities as one.”
If you are a patient or service user, you will continue to receive the same care and support in the same locations. Teams will contact you in the same way and appointment processes will remain unchanged. The names of Warrington Hospital, Halton Hospital and clinic and community sites will stay the same.
You may notice some small changes initially, such as the new trust name on patient letters or website, but these will not affect the level of service or care you receive.
By joining up hospital and community teams, people can expect to see new and improved ways of providing services, as soon as it is clinically possible, with better use of digital tools and more choice in how to access care and support – helping to reduce unnecessary hospital visits, provide a better experience and improve health outcomes.
To find out more about the trust and its integration programme, Better Care Together, visit www.northcheshireandmersey.nhs.uk
Andy Carter, chair, with staff at Spencer House, Birchwood
