March 28, 2018 9.32 am This story is over 72 months old

Search begins for new patient transport provider in North Lincolnshire

There are currently 54 members of staff working in North Lincolnshire under the current contract.
Non emergency patient transport vehicles.

The search has begun for a new patient transport provider in North Lincolnshire after Thames Ambulance Service’s contract was terminated.

North Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group served a notice to Thames of a maximum of 12 months to find a new provider for the contract.

The CCG will now open up a tendering process to find a new firm to run the service.

Chair of the health scrutiny panel for North Lincolnshire Council, Councillor Holly Mumby-Croft, said that the committee would continue its scrutiny of Thames throughout the process.

“We will not stop our scrutiny of them, we want to ensure a good service,” she said.

“I was pleased that the CCG served notice, it had gone on for so long and it was quite obvious to me that people were suffering from it.”

She added that she felt for the staff affected by the termination of the contract.

The 54 members of staff currently working for Thames Ambulance Service in North Lincolnshire will not lose their jobs as part of the decision to cancel the patient transport contract.

They will be protected under a Transfer of Undertakings regulation.

This means that their terms and conditions of employment will be protected and transferred over to the new provider.

Thames Ambulance Service took over contracts for non-emergency patient transport in northern Lincolnshire 18 months ago.

Since then, MPs and councillors in the region have called on health bosses to terminate the contract.

Representatives from Thames previosuly apologised to patients and staff in Lincolnshire for its poor performance.

The performance of the service in Lincolnshire has improved but the contract remains under threat.