Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust

Type of Trust
NHS hospital trust
Trust Details
Last annual budget £436 million
Employees
Chair Sir David Nicholson KCB CBE
Chief Executive Richard Beeken
Links
Website Sandwell and West Birmingham
Care Quality Commission reports CQC

Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust is one of the largest National Health Service teaching Trusts in England and comprises Sandwell General Hospital in West Bromwich, City Hospital, Birmingham and Rowley Regis Hospital. The Trust was established on 1 April 2002 following approval given by the Secretary of State for Health to amalgamate Sandwell Healthcare NHS Trust and City Hospital NHS Trust.

Development

In January 2014 it was reported that the Trust had invested £3 million in creating a new blood sciences laboratory at Sandwell Hospital which processes more than 7,000 samples and produces around 30,000 test results a day. It is designed to fit with the needs of the proposed new Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Smethwick.[1]

Midland Metropolitan University Hospital

In July 2014 it was announced that £353 million would be invested in a new 670-bed acute Midland Metropolitan University Hospital covering 16 acres in Grove Lane, Smethwick. £100 million would be provided by HM Treasury, the remainder privately. Rowley Regis Hospital in the Tory marginal seat of Halesowen and Rowley Regis would have an expanded role in non-acute, community based care.[2] Carillion's joint venture, the Hospital Company, was to build it at a capital cost of £297m and provide hard facilities management and life-cycle maintenance services. The new hospital will have 15 operating theatre suites.[3]

On 15 January 2018, Carillion went into liquidation, partly due to problems with the hospital contract, and delaying the project still further[4][5] On 26 March 2018, it was reported that the project had been costing over £17m more than Carillion had officially reported.[6]

In March 2018, Skanska negotiated to take over the hospital's construction,[7] with the project 18 months late and likely to cost an additional £125 million.[8] In May 2018, the NHS trust had yet to confirm Skanska to complete the project, and with the unfinished site deteriorating, completion was likely to be pushed back an additional two years, to 2022.[9] In June 2018, a consortium of banks financing the project withdrew their support, and HM Treasury cancelled the PFI contract for construction of the hospital, leaving the NHS trust with a lengthy search for new investment and pushing the completion date back to at least 2022.[10][11]

In the meantime, the NHS trust started tendering for an interim contractor to deliver a £13m early works programme to protect the site until a replacement construction contractor is appointed;[12] in October 2018, this work was awarded to Balfour Beatty.[13]

In August 2018, market testing with contractors showed there was little appetite to bid under a private finance model, and that a PF2 bid would be over £100m more expensive and take six months longer. As a result, the NHS trust sought direct government funding,[14] and on 16 August 2018, the government announced it would fund completion of the hospital.[15] In November 2018, it was reported that the NHS trust was struggling to find a contractor to complete the hospital, with the possibility that the hospital might be delayed beyond 2022.[16]

General practice

The trust took over Great Bridge Health Centre and Lyndon Health Centre in 2019 and will take over Summerfield GP and Urgent Care Practice from Virgin Care in June. Together the three practices have about 15,000 registered patients. The trust will be running them in conjunction with Your Health Partnership, a Sandwell-based GP led partnership.[17]

Staffing

The trust planned to cut around 1,400 posts between 2015 and 2020 in order to reduce pay costs by £16.1m, though it is recruiting more staff including A&E consultants and nurses.[18]

Black Country Alliance

It agreed in July 2015 to join the Black Country Alliance with Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust. The plan is to create a jointly owned Company Limited by Guarantee which will enable the three trusts to jointly bid for contracts. There will also be some consolidation of administrative functions like payroll, information technology and estates.[19]

Performance

Four-hour target in the emergency department quarterly figures from NHS England Data from https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/

The trust was among the three worst nationally over care for women giving birth.[20]

Overseas patients

The trust issued invoices to patients thought to be ineligible for NHS treatment totalling £2.5 million in 2018-9, but only collected £0.3 million.[21]

Vaping

Two hospitals run by the trust opened vape shops in 2019 in conjunction with a ban on smoking. Public Health England advises hospitals to let patients vape indoors - and even in bed.[22]

See also

  • List of NHS trusts
  • Healthcare in West Midlands

References

  1. ↑ "£3m invested in hi-tech blood laboratory at Sandwell Hospital". Express and Star. 24 January 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  2. ↑ "Smethwick super hospital on way at last as Chancellor George Osborne agrees to £353m scheme". Express and Star. 15 July 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "Carillion choice for Smethwick hospital". Express and Star. 12 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  4. ↑ Matthews-King, Alex (16 January 2018). "Alarm in hospitals as NHS triggers emergency plans in 14 trusts after Carillion collapse". Independent. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  5. ↑ Davies, Rob; Clark, Tim; Campbell, Denis (19 January 2018). "Carillion collapse further delays building at two major hospitals". Guardian. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  6. ↑ Price, David (26 March 2018). "Carillion understated hospital costs by £70m". Construction News. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  7. ↑ Morby, Aaron (12 March 2018). "Contractors lined-up for Carillion problem PFI hospitals". Construction Enquirer. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  8. ↑ Morby, Aaron (20 April 2018). "Carillion's Midlands Pf2 hospital to cost extra £125m". Construction Enquirer. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  9. ↑ Morby, Aaron (2 May 2018). "Midlands hospital opening pushed back two years". Construction Enquirer. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  10. ↑ Plimmer, Gill (10 June 2018). "Treasury scrambles for investors for Carillion hospital project". Financial Times. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  11. ↑ Penfold, Simon (27 June 2018). "Government may take over work on Midland Met Hospital if new PFI attempt fails". Express & Star. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  12. ↑ Morby, Aaron (3 July 2018). "Plan to restart stalled Midlands hospital with new PF2 deal". Construction Enquirer. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  13. ↑ Morby, Aaron (4 October 2018). "Balfour bags stalled Midland Met hospital patch-up". Construction Enquirer. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  14. ↑ Morby, Aaron (3 August 2018). "Trust cans PF2 plan for Carillion-hit hospital restart". Construction Enquirer. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  15. ↑ Marshall, Jordan (16 August 2018). "Government confirms bailout for stalled Carillion hospital job". Building. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  16. ↑ "NHS trust struggling to find replacement to build post-Carillion Birmingham hospital". National Health Executive. 1 November 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  17. ↑ "Hospital foundation trust to take over three GP practices". Pulse. 13 May 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  18. ↑ "200 face jobs axe at Sandwell hospital trust in bid to save £16m". Express and Star. 5 May 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  19. ↑ "Midlands trusts to create £1bn turnover alliance". Health Service Journal. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  20. ↑ NHS leaves one in four mothers alone during labour or childbirth The Guardian
  21. ↑ "Trusts missing out on tens of millions from overseas patients". Health Service Journal. 19 November 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  22. ↑ "Vape shops open on NHS hospital sites, in bid to stub out smoking". Daily Telegraph. 9 July 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
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