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Trust warns of ‘significant’ quality and safety risks if private provider keeps contract

The loss of a £126m contract to another provider could cause multiple staffing and patient care issues, a trust has said.

An impact assessment prepared by Kent Community Health Foundation Trust said if it lost the work in north Kent there would be a “significant risk in terms of either financial, reputational, safety or quality of patient care”.

The document was released to HSJ under the Freedom of Information Act and drawn up by the trust in November.

The trust lost the contract in January to a bid from Virgin Care and last month lodged a challenge against the procurement process with the High Court.

The seven year contract was awarded to Virgin by Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley Clinical Commissioning Group and Swale CCG…read more

HSJ: 7 March 2016

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