Hartlepool hospital trust to continue partnership with South Tees trust post Covid

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust say the recent partnership has played an important role in helping them to meet the unprecedented challenge of Covid-19.

It is set to continue into the future with the creation of a new strategic board, comprising members of the two trust’s boards, and a new joint chair, to tackle common issues while continuing as separate statutory organisations.

By working closely beyond the pandemic, both organisations hope to improve their populations’ health and wellbeing, tackle health issues made worse by Covid and boost recruitment and retention of specialist doctors and nurses.

They also say it will give them a ‘stronger collective voice’ to try to secure capital investment needed to rebuild and upgrade existing hospital facilities.

North Tees and Hartlepool trust’s chair Paul Garvin, and his opposite number at South Tees, will hand over the reins to interim joint chair Neil Mundy from Tuesday, February 2.

Mr Garvin said: “Working together has been important in enabling health services in the Tees Valley and North Yorkshire to respond to Covid-19 and I am very pleased that the benefits of closer working between both trusts will continue beyond the pandemic.”

Hartlepool MP Mike Hill has supported the principal of the move and has sought assurances it will not affect the University Hospital of Hartlepool.

He said: “It makes sense that our local NHS Trusts work together in a more collaborative and joined up way to deliver better health care for the region as a whole.

"Naturally I have sought immediate reassurances over the future of Hartlepool hospital in order to protect it going forward and have discussed the matter personally with the Chief Executive Julie Gillon.

"I would personally like to thank the outgoing chair Paul Garvin for his excellent leadership over the years, and especially through these troubled times, and I look forward to working with the chair of the new strategic board, Neil Mundy.”

In September, the trust announced plans to ‘refocus and redevelop’ Hartlepool hospital including for it to complement services provided elsewhere, the upgrade existing facilities and investment for ‘centres of excellence’ in elective care and clinical practice.

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