01.11.16
Coperforma to lose Sussex patient transport contract
A private contractor will be stripped of the contract to transport patients to hospital services in Sussex after widespread criticism.
Coperforma will have a managed exit of the contract, due to be completed by 1 April 2017, as South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) NHS FT takes over the services. Staff will be transferred to SCAS.
In June, Sussex CCGs produced a report criticising Coperforma for “unacceptable levels of performance”, with patients having problems contacting the service and being collected late or not at all.
Ambulance workers’ union GMB called for Coperforma to lose its contract in August after it emerged that it was planning to dismiss staff and offer them a new contract with reduced pay and conditions.
Gary Palmer, a GMB organiser, said today: “We can only applaud along with patients and GMB members the long awaited decision by Sussex’s seven CCGs to remove Coperforma from managing the patient transport service here in the county.”
He added that Coperforma “simply never got to grips” with a contract of this size and made choices in subcontractors that “left much to be desired”.
James Underhay, deputy chief executive of SCAS, said “SCAS is under no illusion that taking on delivery of this service will be challenging and that we need to stabilise the service before we can begin to make significant improvements to it. We fully recognise that this is a difficult period for the patients who rely on the service and the staff who provide it. I want to reassure Sussex patients that we at SCAS are fully committed to providing the service that they expect and deserve from the NHS, and to reassure the staff who will be joining us that we will provide them with the support and tools that they need to deliver a great service.”
NHE contacted Coperforma for a comment, but it did not respond at the time of publication.
2 November UPDATE
Michael Clayton, chief executive of Coperforma Limited, said: “We are, of course, disappointed that we shall not be continuing to deliver the Sussex patient transport service contract in the longer term. This is particularly unfortunate for all the people in our company and contractors who have worked so hard, after a difficult start, to provide patients across the county with a much improved safe and reliable service.
“Talks are scheduled today with the commissioners to agree final terms and conditions to bring the contact to an end. In the meantime patients will continue to be our priority and we will be ensuring that there will be no interruption to the service.
“We are equally committed to work with the commissioners and the new providers to make sure that the transition process is efficiently completed in the best interests of all patients and NHS staff.”
(Image c. Peter Byrne from PA Wire)
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