Speeding Up Major Overhauls for Liverpool’s Hospitals

The schedule for when significant alterations to NHS hospitals in Liverpool will take place has been disclosed.

It was confirmed last year that the city’s five acute and specialist NHS hospital trusts will merge into one entity, marking significant changes in how healthcare services are provided within the area.

Liverpool University Hospitals trust - which already encompasses the Royal Liverpool, Aintree And Broadgreen hospitals - had previously integrated Liverpool Women's Hospital Trust with what is now known as the NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group.

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However, it was disclosed that the city’s other specialty trusts would also become part of this group over the next few years. These additional trusts encompass The Walton The centre for neurology and neurosurgery, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, along with the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre.

A proposed schedule plans for Liverpool Heart and Chest to be incorporated into the new group by 2025/26, followed by The Walton Centre joining in 2026/27, with The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre scheduled to become part of this grouping by 2027/28.

However, an updated plan shared with employees today reveals that health authorities are fast-tracking these initiatives. As a result, Liverpool Heart and Chest will integrate into the larger network by September of this year, followed by The Walton Centre which will become part of the same group by December. Additionally, The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre is scheduled to join the organisation by March of next year.

The notification further stated that within the coming two months, the individuals who will join the new collective board along with the separate trust leadership teams will be finalized.

The newly formed University Hospitals of Liverpool group board will consist of hospital executive managing directors along with those in group corporate positions, together with non-executive directors.

The objective of the newly formed group is to have individual hospitals managed by separate boards, which would oversee approximately 4,000 to 6,000 employees with an annual budget ranging from £400 million to £600 million per hospital. Despite sharing a common management structure, these hospitals will keep their distinct names and unique identities.

Starting from 2026, the individual management boards will comprise Aintree and The Walton Centre, Liverpool Heart and Chest along with Broadgreen, The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre including diagnostics services, as well as The Royal Liverpool hospital which also encompasses The Dental Hospital.

At present, Liverpool Women's Hospital is set to keep its separate management board. However, the notification specifies that this arrangement might alter as NHS Cheshire and Merseyside proceeds with its contentious examination of maternity and gynaecology services within the area.

The notice further states: "Even though establishing the group was an agreement deemed necessary for both patient care and the long-term viability of our organizations, the extent of the financial hurdles confronting the National Health Service has grown more apparent in recent months."

All National Health Service bodies have been instructed to undertake all feasible measures to cut expenses – such as reducing administrative costs – and enhance productivity through changes in their operational methods.

Speeding up our strategy for the NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group (UHL Group) will not only tackle this financial issue but also allow us to reap the clinical advantages more swiftly by operating as a single entity.

The proposals will be reviewed by NHS England.