At a Special Board meeting on Wednesday 1st September, NHS Wandsworth discussed the proposed transfer of Wandsworth Community Services to the management of St George’s NHS Trust.  This transfer is due to take place on 1st October 2010.

Most of the issues relating to the transfer have been resolved but the Board meeting gave some attention to the risks to the Community Services, should the financial position of St George’s worsen.  Until very recently, St George’s failed to balance its books and carried forward an historic deficit.  This has largely been resolved but there is still a risk that the problems may return and the Trust and the position to date in the current financial year is not strong.

There was a recognition of the risks but the board did not see any clear way to minimise these.  A suggestion that procedural approaches such as requiring St George’s Trust to have no greater level of unfilled posts in the community trust division than it does elsewhere in the Trust was not accepted.  The Board gave the go-ahead to further action to be taken in readiness for the final approval to be given at the regular NHS Wandsworth Board meeting on 29th September 2010.