In a controversial move, the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board (STWICB) has announced the termination of its contract with Shropdoc, a local not-for-profit organization run by GPs, for out-of-hours GP services. The contract will now be awarded to Medvivo, a for-profit subsidiary of the multinational Health Hero group, backed by the Eight Roads venture capital fund. STWICB leaders have publicly stated that this decision was not driven by cost-saving intentions, despite the shift to a profit-oriented provider.
Responding to questions about why the contract has been changed the ICB, grudgingly admitted that “the contact value … is lower than the current contract with Shropdoc,” while still claiming “this procurement was not a cost-cutting exercise,”
Details of the contract with Medvivo/Health Hero show the 5 year contract is valued at £32.5 million, an average of just £6.5m per year – over 18 percent lower than the £8m per year that has been paid to Shropdoc.
Shropdoc has highlighted the ICB’s “clear objective for financial efficiencies, evidenced by a reduced financial envelope for the service,” which “created an almost impossible competitive landscape.”
Full article in The Lowdown, 19 July 2025
