30.10.18
Trust named as the preferred bidder for controversial £450m community services contract
West London NHS Trust has been announced as the preferred bidder to deliver its community services as part of a £450m contract for 10 years from 2019.
Ealing CCG revealed the trust as the lead provider, pending approval by NHS England and NHS Improvement, for its community-based services in the borough such as disability services, children’s nursery and mental health services.
The trust will work in partnership with Central & North West London NHS FT, the Hillingdon Hospitals NHS FT and other partners, with the contract planned for May 2019.
In September, two NHS trusts withdrew from the West London contract process because the financial value of the contract was too low to ensure they could provide safe quality services.
London North West University Healthcare Trust and then Central London Community Healthcare Trust both pulled out, saying there was a gap in the cost of the care and the amount the tender would allows the trust to spend.
But now that West London NHS Trust has been announced as the preferred bidder, it will run at least 36 adult and children community services for Ealing CCG.
This includes primary care, mental health and dementia support teams, Clayponds Community Hospital, and enhanced GP services supporting Ealing’s nursing homes.
Dr Mohini Parmar, chair of Ealing CCG, said: “This is really exciting news. West London NHS Trust and their partners bid was outstanding and they have shown a clear understanding of what we want to achieve and a willingness to embrace the challenge of delivering fully integrated health and care services.
“There is a lot to do over the next six months as we work up to the contract launch in May 2019.
“Patients should not see any difference in the services they receive on day one, but over a period of time, we will be looking to change and transform services so that they provide better and integrated care.”
Carolyn Regan, chief executive of West London NHS Trust, said: “As a long-standing provider of care in Ealing, we are particularly pleased to have this opportunity to build on our existing local physical and mental health community services to deliver high-quality, integrated care across the borough.
“Our experience and the expertise of our staff, complemented by those of our partners, put us in a strong position to deliver the improvements which patients, carers and local people tell us they want to see.”
Image credit - Cathal McNaughton/PA Archive/PA Images
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