New Shropshire NHS group name revealed
BBCTwo Shropshire NHS trusts have revealed the name of the new group they are forming.
From 1 April the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust (SaTH) and Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust (Shropcom) will be known as Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Community and Hospitals NHS Group (STWCH), a meeting in Telford was told this week.
Both trusts will still exist as separate entities, and will not be merging, but their top teams will be brought together.
Jo Williams, group chief executive, said: "This follows the approach taken by other NHS trusts to improve care for patients through accelerating joint working."
Williams said the priority was to make services better for our patients and offer a better experience for staff.
"As a group, it is important we speak with one voice and one purpose and having a shared identity will support closer collaboration," said Williams.
She added that the group name would not replace the legal names of SaTH or Shropcom.
Williams added there "will be times we need to speak as individual trusts."
"We will take a sensible and sustainable approach, gradually rolling-out our new name, ensuring value for money," she added.
"Our priority is to make things better, not just different.
"We are listening to the feedback of our patients and staff and prioritising areas including urgent and emergency care, connecting digital systems and bringing care closer to home."
The leaders of the two organisations have been working closely for a while and Williams said: "We are already seeing the benefits of improved resilience to some of our smaller services and access to clinical advice and professional support. It is early days, but we will keep building on this momentum and will keep sharing our progress."
This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.
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