THE board of directors at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust have approved the business case to support the planned merger between the two trusts.

The new trust will provide acute care and treatment from Yeovil District and Musgrove Park Hospitals, community-based services, including 13 community hospitals, and mental health and learning disabilities across Somerset.

It will also run 16 GP practices through the Symphony Healthcare Services subsidiary.

The business case describes plans setting out the benefits of the merger for patients and what it will mean in practice. Following this approval, it will be reviewed by NHS England.

If the business case gets the go-ahead from NHS England it is intended that the two trusts will merge on April 1, 2023.

The new organisation will be called ‘Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’.

Peter Lewis, chief executive of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: "By joining together as one NHS trust, we will be able provide better mental and physical health services for people, wherever they live in Somerset and the surrounding areas, through improved access to the specialist care and treatment they need, when they need it.

“In Somerset we already have an older population compared with many other parts of the country, and this is set to increase - in some parts of the county, more than half of all residents will be aged over 65 by 2033.

"This means there’ll be more people living with multiple, complex conditions and requiring care, treatment and support from many different services.

“The number of people attending our hospitals for emergency or urgent care is increasing every year too and it’s becoming more challenging to meet this demand.

"We also know that we rely more upon inpatient care compared with other health systems and this is not always best for patients.

“By working as one NHS trust, and with our social care and voluntary sector partners, we will improve access to preventative care that helps people stay well and out of hospital, leading to better outcomes for this population.

“We will also develop stronger links between mental health and physical health services so people get the care and support they need, from the right service, at the right time.”