‘Robust’ scrutiny review to be launched into PCN’s sudden collapse

Exclusive A ‘robust scrutiny exercise’ will be carried out into the sudden collapse of a company supporting a PCN after concerns were raised by local councillors.

OneNorwich Practices, which runs the 10,948-patient Norwich Practices Health Centre and was the biggest provider of GP services in the city, announced that its business ‘cannot remain financially sustainable’ beyond this year and will be shutting down.

The company supported Norwich PCN and had been commissioned by the local ICB to deliver primary medical services in Norwich and the surrounding areas, including Norwich Practices Health Centre, the Norwich Walk-in Centre, a vulnerable adults service, a lymphoedema service, an asthma-in-schools pilot as well as other targeted patient services.

Now Norfolk County Council has agreed to examine the collapse in more detail, after a motion calling for ‘an urgent inquiry into the circumstances and causes of this sudden collapse, including governance, management and financial issues’ was presented at a full council meeting last week.

Norfolk and Waveney ICB also told Pulse that it plans to review OneNorwich Practices’ contract history and commissioning arrangements ‘to understand, record, and learn’ from this scenario and ‘to ensure that appropriate levels of reporting and accountability are in place’ in the future.

Norfolk County Council health overview and scrutiny committee chair Fran Whymark said: ‘There has been considerable interest from council members and Norfolk residents regarding the sudden collapse of OneNorwich.

‘The committee will find an appropriate space early in the 2024 calendar to carry out a robust scrutiny exercise.

‘It’s important that the NHOSC provides effective challenge to ensure that assurances can be given around the provision of future services, and any lessons learnt to avoid similar failures moving forward.’

The motion was considered after the three-hour period of the council meeting had elapsed, so no debate was allowed on it and it was put straight to the vote, where the motion was lost.

However the scrutiny committee said it will examine the collapse in more detail despite the outcome, and Pulse understands it has the authority to do this.

Green party councillor Jamie Osborn, who proposed the motion, told Pulse: ‘The sudden collapse of OneNorwich Practices has led to staff not knowing in November whether they would get paid at Christmas.

‘It has meant a practice of 10,000 patients and a popular and well-used walk-in centre have been put at risk.

‘Vital services for asylum seekers and vulnerable adults have also been left in an unacceptable position. This has an adverse impact on the wider health landscape of the city.

‘An independent inquiry is urgently needed to secure accountability for the failings and to make sure that similar catastrophes do not happen again.’

A spokesperson for Norfolk and Waveney ICB said that after the collpase the board and OneNorwich Practices had been working to develop plans to transfer services and staff to alternative providers.

Since then, two providers have been awarded caretaker contracts to take on some of the services.

North Norfolk Primary Care, an alliance of GP practices in North Norfolk, was awarded a caretaker contract for the registered patient list of the health centre, the walk-in Centre and the vulnerable adults service until March 2025.

The spokesperson added: ‘Once these immediate service transfer priorities are addressed, the ICB will be in a position to undertake its own internal review of the circumstances that may have contributed to the insolvency, bearing in mind that post-transfer OneNorwich Practices will cease to exist.’

The ICB also said that as a commissioner, ‘it is not in receipt of the financial information of its contractors’, and that the ICB is not responsible for the financial viability of any organisation, nor any subsequent arrangements (financial or otherwise) within a wider group of companies or partners with whom the ICB does not directly commission services. 

The spokesperson said: ‘It will nevertheless be important for the ICB to review OneNorwich Practices’ contract history and commissioning arrangements to understand, record, and learn from this scenario to ensure that appropriate levels of reporting and accountability are in place for organisations commissioned to deliver services.’

Pulse has contacted OneNorwich Practices for comment.

Last year, Norwich PCN was named PCN of the year for an initiative which cut hospital admissions by 44%, saving around half a million pounds for its system.