Date confirmed for eagerly anticipated verdict on Shropshire's out-of-hours GP contract decision
Shropshire residents should soon know who will be providing the county's out-of-hours GP services in the future.
The service has been provided by Shropdoc for a number of years, but last year NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin announced it was re-tendering the contract.
The organisation subsequently confirmed it had made a decision to award the contract to a different provider, the Wiltshire-based Medvivo - a move that meant Shropdoc, the county's longstanding out-of-hours provider, would no longer be providing the service.
The decision sparked criticism and concern from some local health campaigners and councillors.
A subsequent request for the decision to be reviewed meant that the matter was passed to the NHS England Independent Patient Choice and Procurement Panel for review.
A government health minister has now confirmed when the public can expect to find out the outcome of that review.
Depending on the findings NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin can continue to award the contract as previously intended, abandon the process, or go back to an earlier part of the process.
Stephen Kinnock, minister in the Department of Health, said the decision will be published on Thursday, June 26.
He made the comment in response to a written question from Telford MP Shaun Davies.
Mr Kinnock said: "NHS England has communicated that the decision on general practice (GP) out-of-hours service in the Shrewsbury, Telford and Wrekin ICB will be published on June 26, 2025.
"GPs are independent businesses who are contracted by National Health Service commissioners to perform medical services.
"The GP contract ensures that a consistent provision of healthcare is provided, including out-of-hours services which should be available to all patients in the Shrewsbury, Telford and Wrekin area.
"Decisions regarding these services are made locally and independently. Practices have the option to provide out-of-hours services directly, in which case they receive payment for doing so.
"If a practice chooses not to offer these services, arrangements must be made to ensure that an alternative provider delivers them for that practice’s registered patients. These decisions should not affect patients’ access to care."
Speaking following Mr Kinnock's response Mr Davies said: "I have been chasing a decision on this important matter and await the decision of NHS England."
