17.10.12
Gloucestershire services to remain in NHS
Gloucestershire community services are to stay within the NHS and be run by a new trust, rater than outsourced.
NHS Gloucestershire originally wanted a social enterprise to run the services, or for the services to be put out for private tender, worth around £400m annually.
But residents and campaigners feared that such moves could lead to privatisation, and 76-year-old Michael Lloyd, a patient and resident, sought a judicial review.
The situation arose because the PCT could no longer function as both commissioner and provider of the services – however, in May NHS Gloucestershire was told by the DH that it could set up a new NHS trust to run nine community hospitals and take over responsibility for 3,000 staff. This week, its board agreed to do so.
NHS Gloucestershire chief executive Jan Stubbings said: “It is now time to look to the future and we are confident that everyone – staff, community partners and the public – will pull together to make sure that community support and local services are the best they can be.”
In the consultation, 96% of 2,500 people said the wanted the services to continue to be provided within the NHS, according to local newspaper Stroud Life.
In a statement, the PCT said: “The decision by the board members to seek the establishment of a new NHS Trust, rather than pursue any of the other possible solutions, was based on factors such as the need for future improvements in service quality and efficiency and financial sustainability, which they were satisfied could be achieved through this option, within a relatively short timescale.
“They also considered feedback from the comprehensive 12 week public engagement exercise.”
The new trust will be launched in April 2013.
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