28 july 2011, and the winner is...

From my vantage point as a non-executive director on the board of our hospital trust, fabled as the birthplace of the equally-fabled nhs, I have been involved since december (indeed somewhat before) in overseeing the process of being acquired. It was an extremely interesting experience, weighing up the options, walking on eggshells with the stakeholders, and helping the more active members of the executive team define and execute a very robust and well-managed plan that led up to an all-day board meeting this week when we declared central manchester as the organisation in whose hands we thought trafford residents' health would best be looked after. It was a long journey, not without its challenges, and with a fair degree of profile given its history; several questions were asked in parliament. Meanwhile, just to show that it's not all talk, the day before we got over the most crucial hurdle on getting a whole new hospital built, in altrincham, which is probably the project I've been closest to in my time at the trust. There's still much negotiation to do before we dissolve the trust and hand over our responsibilities, but it does feel now like the torch is passing, and we just need to keep it safe and alight for one more lap.