A £30m block contract for operating end-of-life care and district nursing services in East Yorkshire – described as a Trojan horse for privatisation’ by local councillors – has been put out to tender by a local CCG.
The Hull Daily Mail reports that NHS East Riding of Yorkshire CCG has gone out to tender for a ‘prime provider’ for delivering adult community healthcare, meaning a single organisation would lead other groups in providing the services.
But councillor Paul Hogan called for the council to review the tender, claiming that it could lead to services being privatised.
He told the Mail: ‘This model is seen by many as a Trojan horse for privatisation and the move by the CCG raises the very real possibility of private firms being paid to provide services that should be carried out by NHS organisations.’
But Alex Seale, director of commissioning and transformation at the CCG said the model was being used with ‘good results’ by commissioners around the country.
She said: ‘A prime provider procurement means we are looking for a single, accountable lead provider to work in partnership with other providers across the local care system to deliver our community services. We have chosen this model as we want to provide a more integrated approach to service delivery so users of the service will experience a more coordinated approach to how they receive their care.’
