‘Our priority is to make things better, not just different!’ says Shropshire NHS chief as new group name revealed
A new name for two NHS trusts in Shropshire has been revealed.
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust (SaTH) and Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust (Shropcom) will still exist after April 1 but they are coming together as a group.
From the start of next month that group will be known as Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Community and Hospitals NHS Group, a meeting in Telford was told this week.
The acronym STWCH doesn’t roll off the tongue as easily as SaTH or Shropcom but leaders say the move follows what other NHS trusts are doing to improve care for patients.
Jo Williams, group chief executive, said: “From April 1 we will formalise our Group between our organisations.
“This follows the approach taken by other NHS trusts to improve care for patients through accelerating joint working.”
Ms Williams said the priority is 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 Mrs Williams.
“We would like to thank our communities and colleagues who shared their views on our name.”
She added that the group name will not replace the legal names of SaTH or ShropCom.
What is happening is not a merger but a bringing together of the top teams.
Mrs 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 Mrs Williams said they are already seeing the benefits.
She said: “Together, 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.”
