FAQs
This page has been developed to provide you with answers to
frequently asked questions about the upcoming merger between
University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and Weston Area
Health NHS Trust. If you have any further questions, you can email
the merger inbox at: ubh-tr.uhbristolwestonpartnership@nhs.net
Q) What is happening?
University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (UH Bristol)
and Weston Area Health NHS Trust (WAHT) plan to merge as one
organisation on 1 April 2020. When we merge, our new trust will be
called University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation
Trust. This builds on the partnership the two trusts have had in
place since 2017. Patients will continue to have access to the same
services and teams in the same locations. The names of our
individual hospitals, like Weston General Hospital and Bristol
Royal Infirmary, will remain the same.
Q) Why are the trusts merging?
The merger is an exciting and unique opportunity to create a new
organisation with a greater purpose. By building on the many years
of partnership working between the two Trusts and taking the step
to become a single organisation, we'll have a combined workforce of
over 13,000 staff, aiming to deliver exceptional local services for
local people and specialist services across the South West and
beyond.
The merger will help bring stability to Weston General Hospital,
so that it remains at the heart of the community, providing
services that meet the needs of its local people.
We will also have a real opportunity to create an even better
experience for our patients - ensuring people from North Somerset
and surrounding areas will be able to be seen and treated in their
local hospital, and improving access to specialist services in both
Bristol and Weston through better use of an expanded workforce,
estates and facilities.
A 13,000+ strong workforce increases our diversity, capacity and
resilience, allowing for greater development opportunities for our
staff across a much wider portfolio of services, strengthening the
knowledge base, peer support and skills and experience of all our
employees.
The merger provides an opportunity to share expertise and best
practice - particularly in the delivery of exemplar models of
frailty, ambulatory and out-of-hospital care. We will use the
opportunity to develop and learn from each other to create truly
joined up care which enables people to stay in their own home, or
return home as soon as they no longer need our care.
Q) Will Weston General Hospital stay open after the
merger?
Yes. The merger will bring stability to Weston General Hospital
so that people from North Somerset and surrounding areas can
continue to be seen and treated in their local hospital.
Q) Why can't Weston General Hospital continue as it is?
Weston Area Health NHS Trust is the smallest hospital trust in
the country, which has meant it has continued to experience
significant and long standing financial and staffing challenges. It
cannot survive in its current form. Joining with University
Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust offers the financial
security of a bigger trust to ensure our high quality services can
continue, as well as opportunities to expand and improve our
services.
Q) Are there going to be changes to services when the trusts
merge?
Patients will continue to access the same services, same teams
and same locations when we merge. As a newly merged organisation,
we will have opportunities to improve access to our existing
services and bring some specialist services to Weston General
Hospital. This will reduce the need for people to travel for care
and treatment which could be provided locally.
Q) Where should I go for my treatment after the trusts merge in
April?
There will be no changes to our services when we merge, so
please continue to use them as you would have done before the
merger. You don't need to plan to travel anywhere different to
where you would normally go to access treatment. Information about
our services is available on our Bristol and Weston websites:
Q) Will I notice any differences after the merger?
The only difference you should notice when we merge is our new
name, which will be University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS
Foundation Trust from 1 April. Our hospital names, like Weston
General Hospital and Bristol Royal Infirmary, will remain the
same.
Q) Is there a way I can get more involved in the new
organisation?
Yes. The newly merged organisation will be a foundation trust,
which means members of the public can sign up to be a member.
Becoming a member is a great way to support, find out more about
and get involved in your local hospital.
Being a foundation trust also means that we have a council of
governors, which represents the views of its members, staff and
patient community. They help to guide the development of the
organisation and hold the board to account on major decisions. We
are looking for members of the public to join the council, and
elections will be running in Spring 2020.
If you would like to find out more about becoming a member or
the governors elections, you can visit our website at
uhbristol.nhs.uk, email foundationtrust@uhbristol.nhs.uk
or speak to the membership team on 0117 342 3764.
Q) Will the merger impact on how my data is shared?
The newly merged organisation, University Hospitals Bristol and
Weston NHS Foundation Trust, will be legally responsible for all
data. The same standards of confidentiality and security that apply
to all NHS organisations will remain in place. As now, your
information will only be accessed by those who need to provide you
with care, and in very limited circumstances, others with a
specific legitimate and lawful need. More information about how we
use your data can be found online at /about-us/privacy/. If you have any
questions, you can email the Trust's Data Protection Officer via informationgovernance@uhbristol.nhs.uk
Q) How can I ask questions or find out more about the
merger?
If you have a question or any feedback about our upcoming
merger, you can send this to ubh-tr.uhbristolwestonpartnership@nhs.net.
If you would like to receive a regular update about the merger,
please let us know via the email address above.
