Plans for partnership working outlined for Croydon

Building on the success of the One Croydon Alliance, Croydon Health Services NHS Trust and NHS Croydon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) are to continue their partnership working to improve health and wellbeing of people in the borough and strengthen future services.

The proposals follow the recent appointment of a joint chief nurse and executive director of midwifery and Allied Health Professionals – the first senior management post shared across the trust and CCG. The organisations also share a joint chief pharmacist which has helped to improve the service patients receive, to get more seamless care between hospital and primary services, saving time and money.

Now the trust and CCG want to bring together more common functions – removing duplication and freeing-up resources for the frontline and to support clinical staff. This is likely to start with the appointment of a single leader for the trust and the CCG in Croydon, supported by a committee in common, with members from both organisations to consider strategy, transformation and finance decisions.

This could see: shared forums for certain key functions including finance and quality; shared functions and/or roles that are employed jointly by both organisations, as well as joint executive posts; shared strategic priorities and a single delivery plan; and a single budget and financial plan including a combined target for 2019/20.

The proposals are a first for the NHS in Croydon and London and are in line with the NHS Long term plan.

Mike Bell, chairman of Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, said: “Both the trust and the CCG have the same goals of making services better for patients and improving our support for staff. Bringing both organisations closer together ensures the best possible spend for the Croydon pound and free-up resources to support further quality improvements on the frontline.

“Croydon is ahead of the curve in London to take forward the NHS Long Term Plan and has an amazing opportunity to ultimately bring the whole health and care system together to improve the well-being of all. Our two organisations have been in discussions for some time to identify areas where we can better work together to deliver real transformation for the people of Croydon. This proposed partnership is the next step on the journey towards broader alignment with our Croydon partners.”