TKF: Future of South London Healthcare NHS Trust

29 Jun 2012 12:24 PM

Responding to the announcement on the future of South London Healthcare NHS Trust, the Chief Executive of The King’s Fund, Chris Ham said:

'South London Healthcare NHS Trust is one of a small but significant number of hospitals facing serious financial challenges. For some of these hospitals, the usual solutions, such as appointing a new management team or merging with another provider, will not solve their problems. Governments have ducked these issues for too long so this announcement is an important signal of intent from ministers.
 
‘It remains to be seen what action is taken in South London. While the initial priority in this and any other similar cases will be to ensure the continuity of essential services for patients, attention will have to turn quickly to how different, more sustainable, models of care can be provided.'