I heard about this on Friday, to my great personal relief as a GP patient within the tender area - I'm sure I recall "no decision about me without me" as this administration's fundamental principle for the NHS, or was it just a temporary slogan on the barn at Animal Farm?
1. Who's going to put in FoIA requests to establish quite how much the NHS authorities (SHA & successor) and public sector potential tenderers (one can only guess at private sector partners' investment) spent before the process was kyboshed? The public needs to know, and perhaps we might even get favourable press from the Daily Mail!
2. There are presumably no brownie points for submissions of "I told you so" . . .
David
________________________________
From: Clinical biochemistry discussion list [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of OConnor John (ROYAL DEVON AND EXETER NHS FOUNDATION TRUST) [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 19 August 2013 16:05
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: News from todays HSJ
Grabbed this from online HSJ today
BW John
Exclusive: CCGs abandon flagship regional pathology reorganisation
19 August, 2013 | By James Illman<http://www.hsj.co.uk/james-illman/1202776.bio>
Clinical commissioning groups have abandoned a £500m flagship regional reorganisation of pathology services, dealing a major blow to efforts to bring about major changes in the sector, HSJ can reveal.
CCGs decided to abandon the procurement of pathology services across the north west midlands<http://www.hsj.co.uk/news/private-sector-and-trusts-vie-for-500m-pathology-contracts/5054448.article> because they did not believe it would bring about the “clinical and financial benefits” which had previously been anticipated.
Meanwhile, HSJ has learned a similar exercise across the south west midlands has been “paused” as commissioners “revisit” the plans.
The two projects were the only regional pathology reorganisation programmes to date which had allowed bids from non-NHS organisations.
Organisations which had expressed interest in the north west Midlands procurement were last week informed that the process was being abandoned.
An email from the team which was running the project, seen by HSJ, says commissioners have “reviewed the original business case in light of current commissioner information, strategy and priorities” and decided to abandon it for four main reasons.
One is a “reduction in the alignment of the procurement and commissioner strategy as a consequence of the increasing differences between primary care trust and CCG strategy”.
The email also says there has been a “reduction in the anticipated clinical and financial benefits” and an “increase in the perceived clinical, financial and operational risk of transitioning to new models. Finally, it says there has been a “reduction in the importance of transforming pathology in comparison to other current commissioner priorities”.
The email adds: “Commissioners, including those who wanted the procurement to continue, have not yet decided whether they will initiate one or more replacement procurements.
“If it is decided to initiate a revised procurement, then commissioners will notify all bidders who are in the procurement as at the date of this notice.”
The contract notice was placed in the Official Journal of the European Union on 29 January.
The work is being led by the strategic projects team which was formally part of NHS Midlands and East, and is now hosted by an NHS commissioning support unit. Strategic projects team programme director Rowan Procter said: “From an strategic projects team and market point of view it’s disappointing but, ultimately, it is up to the CCGs to decide whether to proceed or not.
“While some the CCGs wanted to continue with the procurement a material number felt that in light of new information the clinical and financial benefits were outweighed by the perceived risks of service transformation.
“Pathology services are at very different stages in different areas so it’s primarily a local decision. The other tender areas are still progressing and we expect to issue invitations to tender in September.”
Meanwhile, HSJ has learned that the procurement in the south west Midlands has been paused.
A strategic project team spokesman told HSJ: “The CCGs in the south west tender area have chosen to pause the procurement to provide them with additional time to revisit the business case for the procurement, specifically reviewing if services savings can be guaranteed.”
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