A new NHS Trust, bringing together community, mental health and learning disability services across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, has launched today aimed at improving services for local patients.
The creation of ‘Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’ brings together Solent NHS Trust and Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, as well as the community, mental health and learning disability services previously provided by Isle of Wight NHS Trust, and the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services previously provided in Hampshire by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
Bringing these services together into one organisation enables the Trust to deliver benefits to patients including improving access to care, reducing duplication and resolving unnecessary differences in practice and outcomes in order to provide the best care for people living in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
Seward: People will still be able to access their care locally
James Seward, Director of Operations, Community and Mental Health and Learning Disabilities on the Isle of Wight for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare, said,
“We know from our local discussions how important it is for people to continue to have their care delivered close to home and bringing services together in this way will not change that.
“People will still be able to access their care locally as they do now but will also benefit from us sharing expertise and resources as part of a larger community Trust and having greater access to specialist care and support.”
Two years in the making
Work to develop the new organisation has been ongoing for the past two years and has involved staff as well as a wide range of community partners and other stakeholders.
To coincide with the launch the new Trust is inviting local communities to continue their involvement by helping to shape the new organisation’s strategy that will set the priority areas of focus over the next five years.
Shields: Most people won’t see immediate changes to how they receive care
Ron Shields, Chief Executive of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, says,
“This is an exciting day for the NHS in Hampshire and Isle of Wight and the culmination of many years of hard work. Taking the best from all of the organisations involved provides a stronger foundation from which to deliver better, more joined up care for local people, wherever they live.
“We know that continuity is important, and as we set out on the first months of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, most people won’t see immediate changes to how they receive care.
“As our new organisation comes into being we are already focused on what comes next. That is why we want to hear from local people about what we should be focusing on- what is most important to them and what improvements they want to see in the care they receive. This will directly influence the work we do and the changes we seek to make to help Hampshire and Isle of Wight residents lead their healthiest lives possible.”
Working closely for some time
Whilst the Trust is formally launched today, members of staff across all four organisations have been working closely together for some time. The Executive leadership team is already in place and has been leading work to create the new Trust, including the development of a clinical operating model that describes how services will be organised.
Since August the Trust Boards have been meeting in common, carrying out business and discussing key decisions together.
The new Trust was brought about following a review in 2022 of local community, mental health and learning disability services led by NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight.
MacIsaac: Significant efforts by many people have helped us to reach this point
Maggie MacIsaac, Chief Executive of NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight said,
“The launch of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare is a milestone in our ambition to improve services, remove unwarranted variation and to better join up care across Hampshire and Isle of Wight.
“Significant efforts by many people have helped us to reach this point, and we thank everyone involved for all that they are doing to improve health outcomes for our population now and in the future.
“It is now important that we use this opportunity to shift towards more proactive and preventative care, right in the heart of people’s communities, and the work of all of the teams in this trust will be pivotal towards achieving that aim.”
Visit the new Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust website for more information.
The full list of services provided by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare is available below.
News shared by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust communications team. Ed
