Fourteen hospital trusts are affected by the high-profile liquidiation of public service contractor Carillion, the Government has said.
Carillion says on its website that it is ‘a leading provider to the [NHS] and we are associated with some of the country’s largest and most prestigious NHS [t]rusts who rely on us to deliver services that are critical for the safe care of over three million patients each year’.
The construction giant provides facilities management to the hospitals in question, and the Department of Health and Social Care said NHS Improvement is working ‘intensively’ with the trusts to ‘minimise disruption’ resulting from Carillion’s bankruptcy.
The DHSC said that in most cases the services are subcontracted so that the company that holds the contract with trusts remains responsible for providing the services. It also said all trusts and companies involved have ‘strong contingency plans’ in place.
The Government also has an agreement with the Official Receiver to ensure that Carillion workers in public sector contracts will continue to be paid.
A DHSC spokesperson said: ‘The hospital regulator NHS Improvement has been helping trusts with planning and will continue to work intensively with trusts over the coming days. We will continue to support all organisations involved to minimise disruption.’
It comes as hospitals across the country are experiencing a particularly tough winter, with A&E departments buckling under patient demand.
