London hospital trusts are in active talks over merger
A north London NHS trust has said merging with with another trust will help it to reduce waiting times and improve access to specialist care.
North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust and Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust are in active talks over a proposed merger.
They have been in a "formal partnership" since 2021.
In the coming months a business case will be made, which go to both trusts' boards and NHS England for approval.
This is expected to be completed by summer and if approved, the organisations would be unified in autumn.
North Mid said its Edmonton hospital could "achieve more" if it joined Royal Free, which runs Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield and Royal Free Hospital in Camden.
The NHS trust explained that the Edmonton hospital would "continue to provide the same local services" as at present.
This includes an accident and emergency department, maternity ward, intensive care, paediatrics, acute surgery, medicine and community services.
It said that a merger would reduce waiting times, improve local access to specialist care, join-up community services, increase opportunities to benefit from the latest medical research, and tailor screening and early intervention services to different communities.
A North Mid spokesperson said: "Following several years of ever closer joint working, the boards of North Mid and the Royal Free London group have agreed to look at how we could come together as one organisation.
"Our experience has shown that together we can deliver better care for local people and more opportunities for staff.
"We are currently developing detailed plans for the proposed merger which will then need to be approved by the boards of both trusts and NHS England."
A recent Care Quality Commission (CQC) report claimed the extra workload around the merger plans was affecting North Mid's management.
CQC's deputy director of operations in London, Jane Ray, said despite finding the North Mid leadership team "skilled and committed" it had struggled to complete some of its work in a "timely manner" and needed to "better manage" the workload from the proposed merger.
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