Campaigners “devastated” by Shropdoc decision
Campaigners say they are “devastated” after a panel backed a controversial decision to award Shropshire’s out-of-hours GP contract to a new provider.
NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin’s (NHS STW) announcement earlier this year that it had a new preferred provider was met with anger by a lot of people. It meant that the service would no longer by provided by Shropshire Doctors Co-Operative Limited (Shropdoc), which has been operating since 1996.
Instead, the contract was due to be awarded to Wiltshire-based company Medvivo. That prompted a petition to reverse the decision, signed by more than 14,000 people.
In April, Shropdoc approached the Independent Patient Choice and Procurement Panel to consider the decision.
However, on Wednesday (July 2) the panel concluded that the STW Integrated Care Board (ICB) acted in accordance with the Provider Selection Regime (PSR) regulations and it should proceed with the proposed contract award as originally intended.
The decision has been met with anger by Shropshire Defend Our NHS, who claim it is a monetary-driven exercise.
A spokesperson said: “Patient care, patient safety, patient wellbeing and community interests have been side-lined in favour of financial considerations.
“The entire process has been utterly devoid of integrity and transparency.
“The panel’s scope was extremely limited, and their report simply misses out the unjust nature of this entire undertaking. Crucially, it is not the job of the panel to consider patient safety.
“Our message to health bosses is this. You have nothing to celebrate here. You are dumbing down services and putting lives at risk. You need to know that we are watching you, and when people come to harm – and they will – we will be holding you to account’.”
A statement from NHS STW said: “The independent panel’s findings confirm that NHS STW acted in full accordance with the Provider Selection Regime (PSR) regulations, conducting a transparent, fair and proportionate procurement process in full compliance with statutory and legal requirements.”
Gemma Smith, director for commissioning at NHS STW, added: “We welcome this report and remain committed to delivering a high-quality, value-for-money out-of-hours service that meets the needs of local communities. This outcome reflects the dedication and hard work of everyone involved throughout this complex process.
“We thank the panel for their thorough review and will now carefully consider the full report.”
