St Richard's Hospital and Worthing have agreed to a proposed merger - in principle.
The boards of St Richard's Hospital and Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust at separate meetings today (Friday, October 3) agreed to a merger to establish a single acute NHS Trust managing the two hospitals.
The proposed merger would focu
s on achieving benefits and sharing expertise at Board and senior management level.
Consideration of a merger comes after a series of meetings between the two Trusts.
Clinical staff have been looking at ways of working more closely together following the outcome of West Sussex Primary Care Trust's 'Fit for the Future' review.
Both trust boards are keen to move forward and make progress although they have said they recognise that this is ahead of the outcome of the Fit For the Future reference to the Secretary of State's Independent Reconfiguration Panel.
The Trust Boards agreed that a single, strong centrally managed acute NHS Trust would be the best way to secure sustainable healthcare for the people of West Sussex.
The merger would also provide the best opportunity to achieve Foundation Trust status, which would give the new organisation more autonomy and make it accountable to local people.
It could also see the services at St Richard's under threat by the Fit For the Future decision - maternity, children's and emergency surgery - saved from being downgraded.
In a joint statement, Susan Pyper, chairman at Royal West Sussex NHS Trust (St Richard's) and Tom Robson, chairman at Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust said: "West Sussex is fortunate to have the benefit these two excellent hospital Trusts.
"The two Trust Boards have now agreed in principle that the best way to deliver sustainable healthcare services in West Sussex in the future is to consider a merger of the two existing hospital trusts.
"This reorganisation of the way the hospitals are managed would enable the best elements of each organisation to be embedded into one strong acute trust for West Sussex with patient safety and stakeholder involvement at its heart."
During October and November 2008 both Trusts will be consulting with staff and involving stakeholders on the proposed merger.
The two trust boards will meet again in December to consider consultation feedback and decide the next steps.
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