Somerset’s two main hospitals are considering their options as they seek to avoid a £600M deficit by 2021 and it could mean radical reform of services.
Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has published its sustainability and transformation plan (STP), in which it lays out possible ways in which savings may be found, to make health and social care safer and more efficient for patients.
There have been reports nationally which indicated that numerous departments across Yeovil Hospital and Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton could merge – including oncology and the maternity wards.
But health chiefs from both hospitals have insisted that there no immediate plans to merge departments, and that further consultation would take place before any decisions are made.
Health managers in 44 areas across England have been ordered to draw up STPs, setting out how they will reduce costs, change services and improve care in the wake of the NHS’ record £2.45bn deficit.