This decision has been made after months of consideration which culminated in two organisations, Oxford and Buckinghamshire Mental Health Foundation Trust and Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust putting forward proposals to take on the corporate ownership of Community Health Buckinghamshire, under the national Transforming Community Services agenda. 

These proposals were evaluated by a panel and it was decided that Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust offered the best way forward for patients in Buckinghamshire. Evaluation criteria were based on the best interest of patients, quality and standards of care, track record in running community services, innovation to improve patient care and value for money.

Ed Macalister-Smith, NHS Buckinghamshire Chief Executive, said: “We are very pleased with this decision, which will put Community Health Buckinghamshire on a firm basis for the future and most importantly one that will benefit patients across Buckinghamshire by providing the opportunity to improve patient pathways and bring care closer to home.  We appreciate that the past year has been a difficult one for our staff as we have worked hard to find the right solution for Community Health Buckinghamshire.  I would like to thank staff for their patience and continued commitment during this period and we will ensure continued dialogue with staff as we go through the merger process. In addition we will be talking to patients and the public about ways to improve care in Buckinghamshire.”                                 

Anne Eden, Chief Executive of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “We are delighted to be the chosen partner for Community Health Buckinghamshire.  This is a fantastic opportunity for us to develop a strong and robust working relationship and improve communications between different healthcare professionals. In particular this partnership will enable us to develop more proactive specialist treatment for patients in the community and help prevent unnecessary hospital admissions.” 

As a result of this decision it is proposed that Community Health Buckinghamshire staff will transfer to Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust with effect from 1 April 2010 under TUPE regulations.

As part of NHS Buckinghamshire’s commitment to engage with Community Health Buckinghamshire staff, it will be starting a staff consultation about this proposal between now and the date of transfer.

A copy of the Board paper detailing the proposal can be found on the NHS Buckinghamshire website.