So who will be running those polyclinics?

14 Jan 09

In practice of course, it didn’t work out like that. As predicted previously by Pulse, the deadline proved too tight for a fair number of trusts. In fact, in the end, only about half were able to meet it. But a clear majority of those that didn’t meet it are well on the way.

And so all last week, the Pulse news team hit the phones, calling round the country to find out who’d won what (other than a certain Dr Meldrum, that is...). The results are out this week – a solid performance by local GPs but further inroads for the private sector, plus an unexpectedly strong showing from out-of-hours providers seeking to diversify. But what we didn’t have space to include, in a unexpectedly busy news week, was the final scores on the doors. So if you want to see what’s going on in your neck of the woods, our list is attached on the right of the page.

I should stress this is very much work in progress – many trusts simply haven’t signed contracts yet, and a few we weren’t able to reach, or if we did, they didn’t get back to us. (A special mention should also go to NHS County Durham and NHS Darlington, who point blank refused to tell us unless we submitted a formal request under the Freedom of Information Act).

But as a first draft, it’s certainly more comprehensive than anything else out there, and hopefully of some interest. So let us know what you think. And if we’ve made mistakes, or missed out your local area, get in touch and let us know what’s going on.