The Improving Healthcare Together 2020 to 2030 programme (IHT) was set up by the predecessor bodies to NHS Surrey Heartlands and NHS South West London CCGs in January 2018 to find the best solutions for the long-standing issues facing Epsom and St Helier hospitals.
NHS Surrey Heartlands and NHS South West London CCGs asked the Clinical Senates of London and the South East (Kent Surrey and Sussex), to provide independent advice on their proposals to improve the future of acute services in the combined geographies of Sutton, Merton and Surrey Downs CCGs. These services are provided by Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust.
As part of the acute service reconfiguration plans it was proposed that renal inpatient services provided by Epsom and St Helier would move from St Helier to Sutton, alongside other acute hospital inpatient services. This proposal formed part of the decision-making business case presented to and agreed by South West London CCG and Surrey Heartlands CCG at a Committee in Common meeting in July 2020.
Subsequently, clinical and managerial leads at Epsom and St Helier and St George’s have made a statement of support for a joint specialist renal inpatient unit, to be located at St George’s hospital. NHS Surrey Heartlands, NHS South West London CCGs, NHS England specialised commissioning and North East Hants and Farnham CCG asked the Clinical Senates of London and the South East (Kent Surrey and Sussex), to provide a further independent review on their proposals and options therein to merge the acute renal inpatient services currently provided separately at St Helier Hospital and St George’s Hospital Tooting to the St George’s hospital site, rather than the scheduled transfer of renal inpatient services provided by St Helier Hospital to the new hospital site at Sutton.