The controversial NHS England decision to award a 7-year contract for PET-CT scanning services to private contractors InHealth rather than the local NHS trust has united MPs from all parties across the county in angry opposition.
And as the volume of criticism continues to grow, there are signs of mixed messages between ministers and NHS England, which is showing signs of seeking to climb down.
Challenged by Oxfordshire Council’s Senior Policy Officer Sam Shepherd on whether the contract was a done deal, NHS England responded “No we are not ready to sign any contracts on this lot just yet as we need to first complete any necessary public engagement that may be required and listen to people’s views.”
By contrast junior health minister Steve Brine, challenged on how the decision had been made without any local consultation appeared unrepentant in a written answer that claimed the decision had flowed from “a 30-day public engagement” … three years ago!
“The Phase II procurement proposals between January – February 2016 … was publicised on both NHS England’s website and its Engage portal. …
“As this was a public engagement exercise it was open to all stakeholders, including patients and members of the public. NHS England is committed to ensuring that the public are involved in decision making. Where new service proposals would result in substantial development or variation, such as location change, further public involvement activities will be undertaken.”
But he went on to argue that NHS England had been quite right “in accordance with established procurement practices, which ensure impartial decision making” not to consult with any stakeholder groups MPs during the procurement process.
His words will cut little ice with his Tory colleagues in Oxfordshire, or with local LibDem and Labour MPs, all of whom have written to question the decision and the way it has been arrived at.
Banbury’s Tory MP Victoria Prentis has written to NHS England chief Simon Stevens expressing “extreme concern” that patient care would suffer, since the contract, and the consequent relocation of PET-CT services away from the main Churchill Hospital site with its specialist department would affect the possibility of multi-disciplinary meetings to review each patient’s treatment.
Fellow Tory Ed Vaizey (Didcot and Wantage) stressed his general acceptance of competitive tendering for medical services, but nonetheless argued patient groups had raised “troubling issues with the new provider”.
Oxford East Labour MP Anneliese Dodds has written to NHS England chair Lord Prior demanding a halt to privatisation of PET-CT services.
Local GP Dr Helen Salisbury in a BMJ blog explained the longer term threat of the contract:
“Currently radiologists are part of a multidisciplinary team who discuss and plan treatment for patients. If the NHS does not provide the service, how will we train the next generation of specialist cancer radiologists?”
Medics in the Oxford University Hospitals trust have also spoken out strongly, arguing that the decision risks harming patients. Their stance seem to have eventually drawn endorsement from the trust’s chief executive Bruno Holthof, who has also said he has concerns for “quality and safety” of the proposed contract.
With NHS England attempting to fly the flag of opposing the competitive tendering requirements of the 2012 Health and Social Care Act, such a row has come at an awkward and embarrassing time – the more so since this contract is just the first of 11 to be let for PET-CT scanning, in a process that has been led Arden-GEM Commissioning Support Unit.
A contract for similar services in South East London has been awarded to a consortium including South African-owned Alliance Medical along with King’s and Guy’s and St Thomas’s trusts.
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