Plan to merge hospital trusts would not hit patients, regulator panel says

Officials announced proposals last year for the York NHS trust to take over the Scarborough and North East Yorkshire trust, which has been beset by financial difficulties and repeatedly criticised for clinical failings.

Yesterday the Cooperation and Competition Panel (CCP) cleared the way for the move, concluding patients would retain choice of services and there would still be competition from other providers of hospital care in Hull and Middlesbrough.

The panel said it saw little prospect in future of emergency services not being provided at Scarborough’s hospital.

The takeover has been backed by health chiefs in the region amid expectations the Scarborough trust, which also runs hospital services in Bridlington, had little prospect of becoming an elite foundation trust by 2014, as required by Ministers, owing to its financial difficulties.

There were also concerns some of its more specialist clinical services were not sustainable without sharing care with other trusts.

Yesterday Patrick Crowley, chief executive at York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are pleased to see that the report published by the CCP found that no barriers to competition and patient choice would be likely to arise as a result of this merger.”