DESPITE MOUNTING OPPOSITION the Board of Directors at Homerton University Hospital Foundation Trust (HUHFT) in Hackney, east London looks set to ink a further five-year contract for ‘soft facility’ management … Read more
Rutherford Heath has signed a five year Diagnostics Services Agreement with Somerset NHS Foundation Trust worth £19.1 million. Rutherford Health, in partnership with Equitix, will provide at its facility in … Read more
The Independent reports that it has been informed by a whistleblower that dozens of shifts at one of the government’s coronavirus mega-labs have been cancelled and staff paid to stay away because … Read more
The Guardian reports that the Department of Health and Social Care is set to create a new national framework for testing which would replace current arrangements, with further details released … Read more
The Care Quality Commission has shut down two surgeries and a practice – with a combined roll of more than 11,000 – after serious concerns were raised. The immediate action … Read more
An investigation by journalists at The Independent into the testing for Covid-19 and reporting of test results found a number of major flaws in the process due to the setting … Read more
PAUL EVANS – director of the NHS Support Federation, comments Millions of patients had their treatment put on hold whilst the NHS battled Covid-19, and waited with considerable anxiety not knowing when … Read more
A £5 billion deal to extend the use of the private sector to treat NHS patients is being blocked by the Treasury according to reports from inside the NHS. The … Read more
HSJ has revealed that King’s College Hospital FT and Guy’s and St Thomas’ FT will pay an undisclosed sum to Serco for its share of Viapath, the firm they co-own. … Read more
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep pace with the rapid changes and abrupt U-turns in government policy on how to deal with the Covid-19 crisis. The past fortnight has seen … Read more
In mid-May private healthcare company Babylon Health was awarded its third contract by a hospital trust for use of its Ask A&E triage tool. The contract with the Royal Berkshire … Read more
The Observer reports that Serco was fined more than £1 million for failures on a government contract a few months ago, but was still awarded a lucrative government contract for … Read more
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has awarded a contract to the artificial intelligence company Faculty, a firm hired to work on the Vote Leave campaign, that may … Read more
The easing of the lockdown and a safe return to school for hundreds of children and their teachers is dependent on an effective test, track and trace programme. Over the … Read more
When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, the NHS was unprepared due to its “heavily privatised, convoluted, and fundamentally dysfunctional system” of product supply, in particular of personal protective equipment (PPE), according … Read more
Serco has apologised after accidentally sharing the email addresses of almost 300 contact tracers. The company has been employed by the government to recruit staff as contact tracers for cases … Read more
HSJ reports that 14 trust procurement chiefs have been brought in to help the central team trying to source personal protective equipment. The heads of procurement at 14 trusts and … Read more
HSJ reports that the internal NHS email containing information on how many residents and staff have tested positive is no longer reporting test results from commercial laboratories. This lack of … Read more
Out of sight of public scrutiny, dozens of private companies have been awarded contracts to carry out work for the NHS, much of which could have been carried out by … Read more
Randox Laboratories which employs the prominent Conservative politician Owen Paterson as a paid consultant has been awarded a £133 million contract under the new fast-track procurement rules that mean no other companies … Read more
