16.12.13
Out-of-hours GP contract to end early for Serco
Serco has agreed to an early termination of its contract for out-of-hours GP services in Cornwall.
The provider has also agreed a loss-making restructuring of community work in Suffolk and will stop running Braintree hospital in Essex.
Serco will continue to provide services in NHS Kernow until the end of May 2015.
Their out-of-hours GP services recently came under fire from a Public Accounts Committee investigation, which highlighted that services were “not good enough”, that Serco struggled to ensure enough staff were available, and concerns around the company’s treatment of whistleblowers.
Valerie Michie, managing director of Serco's healthcare business, said: “The global healthcare market remains one of our priorities for the future, where Serco is well-placed to deliver quality services that can be delivered sustainably both for our partners and for patients. The services we deliver in Cornwall and Braintree are no longer core to the future delivery of our healthcare strategy and we have had to take the difficult decision to end these two contracts early, but this does not undermine our commitment to the healthcare market, which is undiminished.
“We remain committed to serving the community healthcare market, and Serco has already demonstrated that our strong position and leading capabilities in providing integrated facilities management and business process management services to healthcare organisations can be transferred to new regions as we continue to develop the portfolio.”
Andrew Abbott, director of operations for NHS Kernow, added: “We have been reviewing our whole urgent care system and we believe there is an opportunity for a new way to deliver this service.”
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