NHS England North West made several errors in contracting a private provider to run health and justice services in Lancashire and Cumbria, regulators have found.
The Independent Patient Choice and Procurement Panel has recommended NHSE NW either re-run the award or scrap it entirely after finding the commissioner breached procurement rules.
The IPCPP was asked by Lancashire and South Cumbria Foundation Trust (LSCFT) to advise on NHSE NW’s appointment of Practice Plus Group Health and Rehabilitation Service to run services providing support to vulnerable people with complex health needs before and after they come into contact with the criminal justice system.
The services are currently run by LSCFT, whose contract is set to expire at the end of March this year, prompting NHSE NW to issue a tender notice in April 2024.
NHSE NW received three bids in total, with the foundation trust coming third in the process. But the trust complained to the IPCPP on 2 January 2025, saying it was dissatisfied with the award and how NHSE NW handled its requests for information about its application.
LSCFT argued that its application was not judged fairly by NHSE NW, with the trust raising concerns about how its scores were weighted on several areas of the tender application, including whether it had appropriate staffing levels to set up and run the services, its governance arrangements and how the services offered social value.
The trust also said it had not been able to “explain or clarify” some of its positions on the areas above.
It accused NHSE NW of failing to comply with multiple aspects of the Provider Selection Regime (PSR), introduced by regulators under the Health and Care Act 2022, including Regulation 12 (4) which states that it is within the power of NHSE to provide support to NHS bodies providing or proposing to provide services within the NHS.
LSCFT was also asked to address its exit strategy for its current contract, and NHSE NW did not give bidders the revised TUPE information supplied by the trust.
Date: 24 February