Primary care support services (PCS) will now be put to an open public procurement process, NHS England has announced.
The PCS Transformation Programme has been working to uncover how best to reduce variation on the level, type and cost of PCS services.
NHS England’s board was presented with three options on how to improve the services:
– Full market testing with an open public procurement – the current preferred option.
Primary care support services (PCS) will now be put to an open public procurement process, NHS England has announced.
The PCS Transformation Programme has been working to uncover how best to reduce variation on the level, type and cost of PCS services.
NHS England’s board was presented with three options on how to improve the services:
– Full market testing with an open public procurement – the current preferred option.
– An in-house option in those areas where outsourcing is not currently in place.
– An option to outsource all services to SSCL, a joint venture between the Cabinet Office and Steria.
Karen Wheeler, national director of transformation and corporate operations, said: “NHS England is committed to cutting administrative costs for all services, and these changes will benefit patients and the taxpayer by freeing up more money for care.
“We have a skilled and committed set of staff delivering these services already and have put considerable effort into designing a viable in-house solution. Unfortunately, it has not been possible to design a solution which made the required level of efficiencies. We know this is a difficult time for PCS staff and we are committed to ensuring that any transfer process for relevant staff is a smooth as possible.”
