The two NHS hospital trusts will officially become combined into a single organisation this week
North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust (left) is merging with Royal Free London NHS Trust (right)
The merger of two NHS hospital trusts this week will mark the “beginning of a new chapter” for healthcare in North London, according to local health bosses.
North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust will be officially merged with Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust from Wednesday, 1st January.
It comes after many months of talks and preparations as local NHS leaders hope the move will reduce waiting times, improve access to specialist care, offer “better joined-up community services”, and provide more co-ordination to “help people stay healthy”.
The merger will see the new organisation become one of the largest NHS hospital trusts in the country, with four major hospitals coming under its control, including three accident and emergency (A&E) departments across Enfield, Barnet and Camden boroughs.
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust currently runs Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital and Royal Free Hospital, while North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust runs the Edmonton hospital, which also serves a large swathe of Haringey borough’s population.
Both NHS trusts have been experiencing similar problems with long waiting times for treatment and critical reports from Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors in recent years.
North Mid’s current total waiting list is 27,247 patients, while Royal Free has 111,910 people waiting for treatment across all of its hospitals.
Confirming shortly before Christmas that the final approval for the merger from Health Secretary Wes Streeting had been given, Royal Free London said in a statement: “We are thrilled to announce that North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust will become part of the Royal Free London group on 1st January 2025, after the secretary of state for health and social care approved our merger.
“While there will be no significant changes from day one for our patients, this marks the beginning of a new chapter for both organisations, enabling us to go further and faster in improving services for our patients, delivering more opportunities for staff and enabling better, fairer health for our local communities.
“North Mid and its community services will join the Royal Free London group alongside Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, and the Royal Free Hospital.
“All our hospitals will continue to provide the same local services. At North Mid, these include A&E, maternity, intensive care, paediatrics, acute surgery, acute medicine and community services.
“North Mid has been a clinical partner with the Royal Free London group since 2017 and we have been in a formal partnership since 2021. Our experience has shown that we can achieve more together than we can apart, delivering better care for local people and more opportunities for our staff.”
The two trusts have also emphasised that the merger is “not about cutting costs” and that patients will still be referred to their “usual local hospital or community service”. Where there are efficiencies to be found following the merger, “any savings made will be retained within the organisation to be reinvested in further improved services”.
The most recent NHS data suggests both North Mid and Royal Free London have been experiencing similar challenges.
Both had an identical staff vacancy rate of 8.6% midway through 2024, while the percentage of cancer patients starting treatment within two months of a referral was 59.1% and 59.5% respectively, as at October, against an NHS target of 85%.
CQC also currently rates both NHS trusts as ‘requires improvement’ overall, although Royal Free is rated ‘good’ on three out of six metrics whereas North Mid only has one such rating.
North Mid’s A&E waiting times are currently longer than those at Royal Free’s two emergency departments, with 63.6% of patients treated and discharged within four hours at the Edmonton hospital in November, compared with Royal Free’s 75% rate, but with both being well below the NHS target of 95%.
North Mid is performing better on overall waiting times for treatment, however, with 66.7% starting treatment within 18 weeks, compared with Royal Free’s 57.2%. The NHS England target is 92%.
For more information about the merger:Visit royalfree.nhs.uk/about-us#NMUH-merger
Update (1st January):
Clinicians at the newly merged trust have identified four priority services where they hope to make progress. These are oncology, with an aim to establish the trust as a leading centre for cancer treatment; colorectal surgery, “driving innovation” in the treatment of bowel cancer specifically; research and development, with fewer barriers for collaboration; and creating a network of “centres for surgical excellence”.
Royal Free London (RFL) group chair Mark Lam, who was also chair of North Mid until the merger, said: “This is a truly momentous day for the RFL and North Mid, as we bring together the best of the NHS to deliver fantastic healthcare. With the merger, we will have the opportunity to transform healthcare for a generation in North London – reshaping major patient pathways and radically improving access for all the communities we serve. Together we are stronger and will have a wealth of talent and resources to drive improvements and enhance the patient experience.”
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