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A group of London NHS trusts is set to follow local government's lead by sharing a chief executive. Eight trusts have confirmed they will merge management structures in a bid to save £48m over three years, which will be used to develop the GP consortia initiative launched in the Government's Health White Paper. The PCTs involved in creating the slimmed down super-trusts – which will be known as NHS North West London – are , Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster, Ealing, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Brent and Harrow. As a result, five chief executives will be made redundant and the three remaining will lead three local management clusters. The group, which forms the biggest NHS sector in the capital, had already been in talks with the main strategic health authority, NHS London, which is looking to create just six trusts to cover London. One estimate has forecast the potential reduction in management costs for commissioning could drop from £71.4m to £23.7m by 2013. The announcement follows publication of the Health White Paper which pledged to abolish strategic health authorities and place greater control with both GPs and councils, in a bid to cut costs and red tape. The changes will start from next month, and then focus on developing the shadow GP consortia during 2011, before full takeover in 2012. Consultations with staff representatives and union stewards will begin next month. Final senior appointments are expected to be confirmed by December. A spokesman for the new NHS North West London told The MJ: ‘It is ambitious, but it's achievable. This is entirely consistent government planning.'

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HEALTH

Three chief executives to run eight London trusts

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