Political steering group for the hospital merger

The district of Waldeck-Frankenberg and the town of Korbach are continuing to work intensively on the joint strategy for the hospitals in Frankenberg and Korbach. The aim is to organise both locations in such a way that they continue to offer the best possible healthcare for the people in the region. The merger is also being closely monitored by a political steering group: it consists of representatives from the city and district councils.

Making the merger transparent and efficient
"We are in the midst of preparations for the planned merger of the two organisations and have formed a team of representatives from the district council and the municipal council to help drive forward and support this important process," says District Administrator Jürgen van der Horst. "In this way, we want to ensure that the interests of all parties involved are taken into account in the best possible way and that the transaction process is transparent and efficient," emphasises Stefan Kieweg, Mayor of Korbach.

Katharina Tils, Harald Plünnecke, Udo Hoffmann and Jürgen Frömmrich were delegated to the steering group from the district council. Moritz Briehl, Jens Deutschendorf, Heinz Langerzik and Kai Schumacher join from the Korbach town council. The team is completed by District Administrator Jürgen van der Horst, First District Councillor Karl-Friedrich Frese, Mayor Stefan Kieweg as well as the office managers of the district and city, Thomas Vorneweg and Ralf Buchloh, and Christopher Emde as the District Administrator's advisor.

Link to local politics
Together, they accompany the planning and milestones up to the merger of the two clinics from the political side. This means that, as multipliers, they communicate all important topics relating to the merger to their political committees. They are responsible for preparing the draft resolutions and communicating them to the parliamentary groups. And they support the operational management of the transaction process of one hospital at two locations from a political perspective.

"The team therefore plays a key role in the entire project, as the deputies form the direct link to local politics," says Karl-Friedrich Frese, First District Councillor of the district, emphasising the function of the steering group, which recently met for the first time to organise and start the joint work.

Tight timetable for merger
The steering group is now entering directly into the transaction process for the merger. A consulting services company specialising in the topic will provide technical support. "The intensive selection interviews took place this week following a call for tenders. A total of five offices from all over Germany have presented themselves to us," reports District Administrator Jürgen van der Horst on the current status. "We will award the contract in mid-April. We will then move on to the analyses and the preparation of the time and business plan as well as the long-term financial planning for the merger - and then promptly to the concrete implementation of the sub-project steps of the merger." According to the district administrator, this includes preparing and concluding the contracts, unbundling the existing corporate structure and obtaining all legal authorisations. "The timetable is tight."

Caption: A political steering group will support the hospital merger between Frankenberg and Korbach from a political perspective. Members of the district council and the municipal council are also involved. Missing from the picture are Heinz Langerzik, Jürgen Frömmrich and Katharina Tils, who was represented at the first meeting by Markus Nordmeier. The mayor of Frankenberg, Barbara Eckes, was also a guest. (Photo: District of Waldeck-Frankenberg)

Background: Hospital merger
Insufficient funding for services, a shortage of skilled labour, demographic change and constantly rising costs: the financial pressure on hospitals - especially in rural areas - is constantly increasing. The two hospitals in Korbach and Frankenberg want to work closely together in future to provide healthcare: A joint hospital with two sites is planned under the sponsorship of the district. This is because new ideas, concepts and joint solutions are needed to sustainably strengthen medical care in Waldeck-Frankenberg - also in view of the planned nationwide hospital reform.