UNISON calls for an enquiry into the failure of patient transport services in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire

6 October 2017

UNISON has written to MPs in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire urging them to call on the government to hold an enquiry into the failures of patient transport services in the two counties.

The recent collapse of Private Ambulance Service Ltd is the second time in seven months that private sector companies have failed to deliver the services they were contracted by the NHS to provide. Private Ambulance Service Ltd took over the contract seven months ago when the previous company walked away claiming the contract was not affordable.

Chris Jenkinson, UNISON Eastern regional secretary said:

“UNISON has been aware of growing issues in the performance and reliability of the Private Ambulance Service, with patients waiting hours, sometimes days to be taken to appointments.

“Our members have raised concerns about patient safety and ambulances that don’t meet basic standards of roadworthiness. Many of our members are owed thousands of pounds in unpaid wages and missing pension contributions.

“We have taken every opportunity express these concerns and ask that action be taken to resolve the issues quickly. Despite this open and honest approach, UNISON has found the silence on the part of some of the local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to be deafening.

“This incident demonstrates that NHS services in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire have reached a crunch point – CCGs should not be relying on low cost, low quality providers. It is demonstrable that repeated privatisation of services within our NHS has failed, not only on the test of cost effectiveness but most importantly on patient care.

“A full enquiry is needed to find out how this happened and to ensure it never happens again. We want the NHS to stop handing out patient transport service contracts to the private sector until all the lessons have been learnt from this debacle.”

Note to editors:

The names of MPs to whom the letter was sent and the text of the letter  is attached.