Epsom and St Helier Trust have announced the criteria organisations wishing to merge with Epsom Hospital next year will be judged.

The trust, which includes Epsom and St Helier, is set to separate with each hospital remerging with another trust in order to achieve foundation trust status, a standard required by all NHS hospitals.

Bidders who have come forward to merge with Epsom Hospital include Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Guildford, while the only bidder for St Helier is St Georges NHS Trust in Tooting.

Each trust must now put forward a formal bid which will be judged based on the criteria determined by the transaction board after lengthy consultations with staff, patients and residents.

Jan Sawkins, independent chair of the transaction board which is overseeing the merger said: “The agreed criteria clearly shows that patients should come first and rightly so.

“A bid that doesn’t take this on board will fail.

“The bidders will need to put forward a vision which demonstrates how they will improve healthcare services for local people.

“This may mean new investment in services, sharing the expertise of doctors and nurses, and spending money on improving buildings and other infrastructure.

“It is important to remember that this process is not about service change. “The organisations bidding to take over Epsom or St Helier will be required to run all of the services currently provided at that hospital, including accident and emergency (A&E) and maternity. “As such, there will be close scrutiny of the bidders’ plans to maintain, improve and enhance services.”

Formal bids will be submitted by November 11, a deadline which has been extended by eight weeks. Jan Sawkins added: “Extending the process will also give the bidders more time to take on board the views of local people, patients, staff, GPs, MPs, councillors and other interested parties in developing their bids. “This will help reassure people who have concerns.”

A final recommendation, which was planned for November this year, will now be made by the transaction board in January 2012.

Top five criteria:

· The new partner must deliver better outcomes and benefits for patients (13.2%)
· They must provide better care for local residents (13.1%)
· They must improve the way local health services work together (also known as integrated care) (8.9%)
· They must have plans in place for uniting the combined workforce, including managing, supporting and developing staff (8.4%)
· The partner must be ready to merge, minimising uncertainty for both patients and staff (8.1%).

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