A Pulse investigation into the continued problems of the Primary Care Support Services contract run by Capita since 2015 reveals that many problems remain.
It’s been seven years since NHS England awarded Capita the contract to run a number of services that would affect the personal and professional lives of GPs and patient care, including the administration of pensions, transfer of medical records and payments to practices. In June 2022, Capita’s contract was extended for another three years.
The contract extension was met with disbelief by the profession. The BMA called it ‘astonishing’, saying Capita had presided over ‘a litany of failures’. A damning 2018 National Audit Office report found the service ‘potentially compromised patient safety’.
Capita and NHS England now present a much more positive assessment of the progress of Primary Care Support England (PCSE), Capita’s service delivery arm. Performance data suggest it is meeting its targets. And NHS England continues to insist the move has saved millions of pounds.
Pulse’s investigation has found major problems with the pension scheme and the customer support centre. GPs have told Pulse about having to delay retirement, facing complications with divorces, spending tens of thousands of pounds on legal and accountancy fees, and having to devote a session a week to deal with PCSE’s poor administration.
Full article in Pulse, 29 November 2022
