Health managers in call to save the name of Stoke-on-Trent NHS trust

HEALTH managers have been attacked for trying to ditch the name "Stoke-on-Trent" from the county's NHS trust running community services.

They want to drop it from the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Partnership Trust under its plan to become a Foundation Trust. (FT)

But they propose to keep the county's name in the title.

Now the officials have been warned the move will make Potteries patients feel they may be missing out on the best services.

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They say that to keep it would make the title "too unwieldy" – and vowed that any change would not affect any care provision in the city.

But campaigners are demanding that "Stoke-on-Trent" is retained.

The row comes three years after the hyphens were dropped from the city's name because of an oversight when the primary care trust was being formed. They are still absent from all correspondence, reports and agenda issued by the PCT.

Partnership trust chief executive Stuart Poyner admitted he would rather drop all place-names from the title – but the Government had insisted FT titles must contain a reference to where they are located.

He was challenged on the change yesterday as he made a presentation on the FT proposals to the city's GP-led clinical commissioning group (CCG), which will replace the PCT next year.

Mr Poyner said: "The name is less important than the actual services we deliver.

"The current name is unwieldy and it will be even longer when the word 'foundation' gets added to it. It is a job for people to remember it now.

"I would rather have just called it 'The Partnership Trust' but that won't be possible.

"Whatever the name, our focus and concentration on the needs of Stoke-on-Trent people is evident for all to see. It is not our intention to dilute or rationalise any services in the city.

"We seem to be spending an unfair amount of time debating the name of the organisation."

But city council assistant social care director Christine Whitehead – who sits on the CCG – said: "In feedback we have been given a strong feeling that your organisation's name should include Stoke-on-Trent, particularly given the health inequalities in the city."

And Ian Syme, of the city's NHS watchdog group, the Local Involvement Network (LINk), said: "First it was the hyphens, not it is the whole city they are trying to get rid of.

"Our members have strong views on this sensitive topic.

"The name must be kept to give the city's population a feeling of ownership of the trust."

The trust runs NHS community care across the county – including community hospitals in Burslem, Longton, Leek, Cheadle and Bradwell. It also provides social care in the county but not the city.

Serving 1.1 million people, it employs 5,700 staff from its £350 million annual budget.