Publish date: 20 January 2023

A review into Liverpool’s clinical services, which considers opportunities for greater collaboration between hospitals in the city, will be sent to the Cheshire and Merseyside ICB next week to try and improve services and health outcomes.

Liverpool has a high number of acute and specialist provider trusts in comparison to other cities, which gives opportunities for collaboration. The review was overseen by the One Liverpool Partnership Board, which is made up of key partners within the Liverpool health and care system, including the NHS, local authority and voluntary sector.

The review has identified 12 opportunities, which can be read in the full report, some of which are already being implemented and three priorities which it recommends are adopted immediately. They are:

  • Solving the clinical sustainability challenges affecting women’s health in Liverpool
  • Improving outcomes and access to emergency care, making optimal use of existing co-adjacencies at the Aintree, Broadgreen and Royal Liverpool Hospital sites
  • Significant opportunities to achieve economies of scale in corporate services.

The recommendations will now need to be approved by the ICB and agreement reached between the six Trust boards within the scope of the review - Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool Heart and Chest NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation Trust, Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust and The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust.

Mersey Care is not under the scope of the review but was involved among other organisations, including general practice in Liverpool, Liverpool City Council and wider NHS Cheshire and Merseyside trusts.

Any proposals for service change that emerge from the work will be subject to further engagement or consultation with staff, stakeholders and the public, as required.