The Nuffield Trust has today announced the formation of a new group for small and medium sized hospitals that are developing innovative approaches to their future business and operating models.
The ‘New Cavendish Group’ will bring together Chief Executives of NHS hospital trusts who are working on new solutions to major challenges such as growing demand for health services and the continued funding squeeze.
Founder members include Paul Mears of Yeovil District Hospital, Susan Acott of Dartford & Gravesham NHS Trust and Bridget Fletcher of the Airedale NHS Foundation Trust. The group will meet quarterly at the Nuffield Trust’s offices in New Cavendish Street, London.
Paul Mears, CEO of Yeovil District Hospital said:
“We have got used to the idea that different elements of the NHS – hospitals, GP surgeries, community services – are separate units, often working in isolation. However, the changing needs of an ageing population mean we need to think differently and more collaboratively in the future.
“A more joined-up and sustainable health and social care system can only be achieved if hospital leaders are prepared to innovate, taking the initiative in the development of new models of care, rather than waiting for these solutions to emerge from commissioners and policymakers in isolation.
“The New Cavendish Group will provide the chance to share and test out these ideas in a safe and stimulating environment.”
The New Cavendish Group will be run by and for hospital leaders, with the Nuffield Trust providing administrative support and guidance. The first meeting will take place in October.
Nuffield Trust Chief Executive Nigel Edwards said:
“Changes in medicine have led to a significant centralisation of services, but it’s becoming clear that there is potential for smaller hospitals to reinvent themselves to adapt to the particular circumstances of their own populations. Much of the really exciting innovation is already happening at a very local level – from bringing family doctors into hospitals, to using telemedicine to support prisons and nursing homes.
By bringing together leaders engaged in this kind of work, we hope to become a reference point for people inside and outside the NHS to understand how the traditional hospital can adapt to the future.
Nigel Edwards, Chief Executive, Nuffield Trust
"At a time when we hear a great deal about hospital failure and deficits, this group will help us focus on what solutions exist to some of the NHS’s most intractable problems.”
To find out more about membership contact Matthew Gaskins