Bedford and Luton & Dunstable Hospitals finally merge to create single NHS Foundation Trust

From today (April 1), the new trust caring for a population of around 620,000 people in and around Bedfordshire has come into operation.

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will be responsible for managing services at both Bedford and Luton, with each individual hospital retaining its name and proud heritage.

The new integrated Trust will bring together a combined workforce of around 8,000 staff and it will be the largest NHS employer in the county.

The new organisation has one executive board and will continue to deliver a full range of services on both sites. This includes key services such as A&E and obstetrics-led maternity.

David Carter, chief executive at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “Today is a significant moment for healthcare in Bedfordshire, with the creation of a single NHS Foundation Trust to provide secondary care services for the people of Bedfordshire.

"The current global health crisis with COVID-19 (coronavirus) remains our initial priority for all staff across both hospital sites.

"As a single, larger organisation we are able to create a more resilient workforce to provide the best possible patient care to the increasing population of Bedfordshire and beyond, and we also have more resilience to respond to the current COVID-19 situation.

"It has been a longer than anticipated journey to get to this point and we’re proud to have officially merged and are looking forward to achieving the ambitions we have for Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as soon as we move out of these incredibly challenging times.”

The two hospitals already worked closely together for several years, providing clinical services such as neonatal intensive care, vascular surgery, oral and maxillofacial (OMF), ear nose and throat (ENT) and stroke services.

There is understood to be a strong overlap in the catchment areas the hospitals serve. The trust states that as both hospitals shared links with local authorities, a merger was "the logical next step in collaborative working".