NHS and private sector block contracts terminated
NHS England has terminated a number of its block contracts including those with all the inner London private hospitals — established at the beginning of the covid outbreak, despite a … Read more
Coronavirus
No refunds over Ayanda Capital mask deal
HSJ reports that the government will not receive any reimbursement for the 50 million masks supplied by Ayanda Capital, which may never be used in the NHS. The FFP2 masks … Read more
England’s contact tracers ‘making handful of calls’ a month
The Guardian reports that contract tracers hired to work on England’s test-and-trace system report that they are making only a handful of calls every month and are occupying their time with barbecues … Read more
Thanks to outsourcing, England’s test and trace system is in chaos – Allyson Pollock
Allyson Pollock, clinical professor of public health at Newcastle University and author of NHS plc: the Privatisation of Our Health Care, discusses why the government’s test, track and trace system, … Read more
Expensive failures could cost lives
What links a network of rapidly-converted field hospitals, a family run food and beverages company in Antrim, a network of “super-labs”, and Serco? The final name has probably given it … Read more
Shifts at private coronavirus mega-lab cancelled, whistleblower reveals
The Independent reports that it has been informed by a whistleblower that dozens of shifts at one of the government’s coronavirus mega-labs have been cancelled and staff paid to stay away because … Read more
Covid-19 testing contracts worth £5bn to private bidders
The Guardian reports that the Department of Health and Social Care is set to create a new national framework for testing which would replace current arrangements, with further details released … Read more
Failing the test – an investigation by The Independent into privatised Covid-19 testing
An investigation by journalists at The Independent into the testing for Covid-19 and reporting of test results found a number of major flaws in the process due to the setting … Read more
Who stands to gain from the NHS deal with private hospitals?
PAUL EVANS – director of the NHS Support Federation, comments Millions of patients had their treatment put on hold whilst the NHS battled Covid-19, and waited with considerable anxiety not knowing when … Read more
NHS deal with private hospitals blocked by Treasury
A £5 billion deal to extend the use of the private sector to treat NHS patients is being blocked by the Treasury according to reports from inside the NHS. The … Read more
One constant in Covid crisis: government contracts out, private sector cashes in
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep pace with the rapid changes and abrupt U-turns in government policy on how to deal with the Covid-19 crisis. The past fortnight has seen … Read more
Covid-19 test-and-trace contract for Serco despite £1m fine
The Observer reports that Serco was fined more than £1 million for failures on a government contract a few months ago, but was still awarded a lucrative government contract for … Read more
New coronavirus contract for AI firm that worked with Vote Leave
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has awarded a contract to the artificial intelligence company Faculty, a firm hired to work on the Vote Leave campaign, that may … Read more
Track and trace failings risk safe release from lockdown
The easing of the lockdown and a safe return to school for hundreds of children and their teachers is dependent on an effective test, track and trace programme. Over the … Read more
A “privatised” and “dysfunctional” system led to lack of PPE
When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, the NHS was unprepared due to its “heavily privatised, convoluted, and fundamentally dysfunctional system” of product supply, in particular of personal protective equipment (PPE), according … Read more
Serco shares emails of contact tracers
Serco has apologised after accidentally sharing the email addresses of almost 300 contact tracers. The company has been employed by the government to recruit staff as contact tracers for cases … Read more
NHS procurement chiefs drafted in to help Deloitte’s efforts for PPE
HSJ reports that 14 trust procurement chiefs have been brought in to help the central team trying to source personal protective equipment. The heads of procurement at 14 trusts and … Read more
HSJ reports test data from commercial labs not being reported
HSJ reports that the internal NHS email containing information on how many residents and staff have tested positive is no longer reporting test results from commercial laboratories. This lack of … Read more
Privatisation during the pandemic
Out of sight of public scrutiny, dozens of private companies have been awarded contracts to carry out work for the NHS, much of which could have been carried out by … Read more
Randox Labs advised by Owen Paterson won £133m virus testing contract unopposed
Randox Laboratories which employs the prominent Conservative politician Owen Paterson as a paid consultant has been awarded a £133 million contract under the new fast-track procurement rules that mean no other companies … Read more
