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Campaigners 'devastated' by Shropdoc decision

Campaigners say they are “devastated” after a panel backed a controversial decision to award Shropshire’s out-of-hours GP contract to a new provider.

By Paul Rogers
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NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin’s (NHS STW) annoucement earlier this year that it had a new preferred provider was met with anger by a lot of people. It meant that the service would no longer be provided by Shropshire Doctors Co-Operative Limited (Shropdoc), which has been operating since 1996.

Instead, the contract was due to be awarded to Wiltshire-based company Medvivo. That prompted a peititon to reverse the decision, signed by more than 14,000 people.

In April, Shropdoc approached the Independent Patient Choice and Procement Pancel to consider the decision.

However, on Wednesday (July 2) the panel concluded that the STW Integrated Care Board (ICB) acted in accordance with the Provider Selection Regime (PSR) regulations and it should proceed with the proposed contract award as originally intended.

The decision has been met with anger by Shropshire Defend Our NHS, which claims it is a monetary-driven exercise.

A protest was held outside The Guildhall in Shrewsbury to try and save the Shropdoc out-of-hours GP service. Picture: LDRS
A protest was held outside The Guildhall in Shrewsbury to try and save the Shropdoc out-of-hours GP service. Picture: LDRS

A spokesperson said: “Patient care, patient safety, patient wellbeing and community interests have been sidelined in favour of financial considerations.

“The entire process has been utterly devoid of integrity and transparency.

“The panel’s scope was extremely limited, and their report simply misses out the unjust nature of this entire undertaking. Crucially, it is not the job of the panel to consider patient safety."

A statement from NHS STW said: “The independent panel’s findings confirm that NHS STW acted in full accordance with the Provider Selection Regime (PSR) regulations, conducting a transparent, fair and proportionate procurement process in full compliance with statutory and legal requirements.”

Gemma Smith, director for commissioning at NHS STW, added: “We welcome this report and remain committed to delivering a high-quality, value-for-money out-of-hours service that meets the needs of local communities. This outcome reflects the dedication and hard work of everyone involved throughout this complex process.

“We thank the panel for their thorough review and will now carefully consider the full report.”