Oxford's two acute hospital trusts are on track to merge on 1 November. The merger between the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre and the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust has received approval from the Secretary of State for Health and the necessary orders have been tabled in Parliament.
The merger is expected to go ahead on 1 November, 2011, and will create an integrated Trust under a single Board and management team.
Sir Jonathan Michael, Chief Executive of the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "The main purpose of the merger is to deliver better patient care. By integrating our Trusts we will be better placed to improve care pathways and ensure patients receive access to the best treatments available. We already have strong research partnerships and integration will strengthen the links between academic research, teaching and training, and clinical service delivery."
Jan Fowler, Chief Executive of the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust said: "We are confident that operating as a single organisation will deliver the best in clinical treatment for our current and future patients and that the benefits from bringing together our two organisations are real and long-lasting."
The integrated Trust will run the county's four teaching hospitals – the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Horton General, John Radcliffe, and Churchill hospitals – which will retain their current names and continue to provide a full range of services across the sites.
In addition, a joint working agreement with the University of Oxford will formally come into effect at the point of merger – a strategic alliance supporting a health sciences partnership that will integrate patient care, teaching and medical research to deliver the best in clinical treatment. The newly-integrated trust is adopting the name Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Professor Andrew Hamilton, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, said: "The University and the hospitals have long had a close relationship, which the new name for the merged Trust reflects. With the joint working agreement between our organisations now coming into effect, we are determined to deliver a true health sciences partnership that provides high-quality healthcare for patients backed by the latest in world-leading medical research."
Contact: Melanie Proudfoot, Communications Manager
Contact Details: 01865 737563 / 231472