Partners - Queen Mary's

At Queen Mary's Hospital (QMH) in Sidcup we have a new and innovative approach to providing healthcare which ensures that local people continue to receive the very best NHS services possible. The hospital specialises in dealing with the day-to-day healthcare needs of local people, with social care and health services working together to meet the needs of everyone living in the area.

Investing in QMH

On 1 October 2013 the QMH site transferred to Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust – an NHS organisation with a strong track record of well-managed finances, developing high quality buildings and providing high quality care. Alongside Oxleas, who continue to provide a range of services at the hospital, are the local authority and a number of other local and established NHS trusts working together to provide high quality services at QMH:

NHS Bexley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG): represents local GP commissioners
London Borough of Bexley: provides a wide range of services including social care
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust: provides community health, mental health and learning disability services
Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust: provides a range of hospital-based services
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: one of London’s largest and busiest hospital trusts
Lewisham Healthcare NHS Trust: provides hospital and community-based services
Guy’s and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust: provides healthcare services to people in three London boroughs and some specialist services further afield.

As part of a major refurbishment plan, Oxleas is investing up to £30m over the next five years to bring services and buildings up-to-date, and ensure that people receive good-quality, efficient services in welcoming surroundings. Despite all the organisational changes, it is ‘business as usual’ for those who use the hospital regularly, or who have an appointment.

Oxleas Medical Director Dr Ify Okocha said: "This is a great opportunity for Bexley. We, in Oxleas, are the right people to do this as we have a strong track record of delivering high quality NHS services from high quality facilities. This new model will enable us to work together to provide excellent services at Queen Mary's Hospital. For example we have plans to develop a brand new radiotherapy service which will be run by Guy's and St Thomas and prevent local people from needing to travel to central London or Kent to receive treatment."

Annette Schreiner Medical Director for Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust, said: "Our team are thrilled to be able to offer outpatient and elective care to the people of Bexley. We have always felt that QMH staff have provided good services to patients and are well connected to their community. Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust want to continue that tradition and work with all the QMH site providers to provide excellent local services."

These first steps towards a new way of working at QMH mean people will begin to be referred more effectively – and always to the right place at the right time – throughout their care and treatment.