Commissioners have rejected a proposal for Care UK to continue running the local medical centre.
The five-year deal was scheduled to expire at the end of February, but NHS England (West Yorkshire) decided not to continue with the contract for an additional 12 months.
A tender has been issued to find a replacement operator on 17 January, just six weeks before the end of the Care UK agreement. Bidders have been given a deadline of 3 February.
Commissioners have rejected a proposal for Care UK to continue running the local medical centre.
The five-year deal was scheduled to expire at the end of February, but NHS England (West Yorkshire) decided not to continue with the contract for an additional 12 months.
A tender has been issued to find a replacement operator on 17 January, just six weeks before the end of the Care UK agreement. Bidders have been given a deadline of 3 February.
However, the commissioners are only looking to keep the service running for another 12 months, from March 2014 to march 2015.
A Care UK spokesperson told Health Investor: “The contract to run the centre will come to the natural conclusion of its five-year term at the end of February. The commissioners are only seeking expressions of interest to keep the service going for another 12 months and our proposal to do this didn’t seem to have met the commissioner’s requirements."
NHS England and NHS Leeds North Clinical Commissioning Group issued a joint statement which said: “The centre will remain open as usual and patients will be able to continue accessing a quality service.”
Shakespeare Medical Centre has 4,000 registered patients. It was created in 2009 to provide greater access to primary healthcare services. It houses a traditional GP practice as well as a walk-in centre and is used by approximately 1,750 patients a month.
