Patient Transport Services in South East London in meltdown?

The following communication has been sent to the South London NHS Trust re Patient Transport services in the area of the Trust. We have been in touch with the GMB union regarding the transfer of PTS drivers from London Ambulance Service to Savoy. Originally 70 staff were to be transferred under TUPE from LAS to Savoy but this is now down to 28. There have been threats of legal proceedings from the GMB over the contract and the way that LAS staff were being treated by Savoy. Savoy have appeared in several articles in Private Eye magazine and are regarded as decidedly ‘dodgy’ both in terms of their finances and their industrial relations.

We are now hearing via the GMB that the contract, which commenced on Dec 1st, is leading to a ‘meltdown’ in the provision of patient transport in the South London Trust area and that Savoy have been called in for emergency talks re non-compliance. It is clear that the contract was awarded on costs issues alone and I have raised the issue at several LAS Trust Board meetings, where the LAS recognise the situation but cannot do anything as a commercial competitor for the contract. However, the Patients Forum can, and are working with the trade union to try and get a better and safe service delivered for the patients in South East London.

South London Healthcare NHS Trust is the product of the merger of three smaller hospital trusts - Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust (QMS), Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust (QEH) and Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust (BHT) - to create a single hospital on several sites.

In the recent Dr Foster Report – South London NHS Trust received one of the lowest grades for performance across several areas. This will be discussed at tonight's LAS Patients Forum meeting at the LAS HQ in Waterloo Road from 5.30pm to 7.30pm which is open to the public. I will be chairing the meeting.


PATIENTS’ FORUM


AMBULANCE SERVICES (London)



Mr Chris Streather, Chief Executive,
South London Healthcare NHS Trust,
Frognal Avenue,Sidcup, Kent, DA14 6LT



December 11th 2010

Dear Mr Streather, I am writing on behalf of the Patients' Forum to express concerns about your contract with Savoy Ventures for PTS for your patients. There has been a great deal of press activity and many concerns from patients about the clinical and patient safety of service provided by Savoy and concerns about their financial viability. Could you please let me have your assurance that you are satisfied with the clinical safety of services provided by Savoy and your assurance that services are safe for patients in respect of both the vehicles and staff training. Can you also assure me that you are satisfied that the company is financially viable and that there is not risk of its collapse leading to major disruption of patients services. Can you also give me your assurance that Savoy vehicles are safe for users of wheelchairs (including electric wheelchairs) and send me a copy of the Savoy patient safety protocols for wheel chair users.

Your sincerely, Malcolm Alexander, Vice Chair, Patients Forum, 30 Portland Rise, N4 2PP