30 April 2024

Steps to enhance community, mental health and learning disability services on the Island will reach the next milestone on Wednesday 1 May. 

On that date, the next phase of work to create a new specialist trust for the region takes a step forward when the Isle of Wight NHS Trust’s Community, Mental Health and Learning Disability Services transfer into Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, having received the approval of NHS England and the two local Trust boards. 

It follows the transfer earlier this year of a number of staff from Sussex Partnership, which provides Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in Hampshire, into Southern Health.

The process, called Project Fusion, will ultimately bring the services from Solent NHS Trust, Southern Health and the community, mental health and learning disability services of the IW NHS Trust into a single, new organisation – called Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

The new Trust will help create fairer access, a better experience and consistent outcomes for people across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and help with the recruitment and retention of staff and the sustainability of local services.

Ron Shields Chief Executive Officer Designate for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust added: “Having our mental health, learning disability and community services join us from Isle of Wight NHS Trust is such an important step in our journey to become Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, in July. Bringing our services together will help us deliver better and more joined up care to the people living in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.”

James Seward, Director of Operations for Mental Health and Learning Disability Services said: “While this next step is an exciting part of bringing this to all to fruition, from Wednesday 1 May the only noticeable change for our patients and service users will be the temporary rebranding of appointment letters to Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust and the transfer of online service information onto Southern Health’s website.  We will also be adopting Southern Health’s procedures for handling feedback and complaints, although this will still be managed locally by our clinicians working with our new patient experience team.

“We have written to all our patients and service users to explain this and to reassure them that services will continue to be delivered by the same teams, in the same locations on the Island.”

The third and final phase of creating the new Trust will, subject to regulatory approvals, take place on Monday 1 July when Solent NHS Trust and Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust (including the Island’s services) come together, and the new Trust is then created.