BDA calls for end of competitive tendering
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- Published: Wednesday, 11 December 2019 07:34
- Written by News Editor
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The BDA has called for the next government to end competitive tendering across the NHS, after the latest fiasco saw a process for commissioning orthodontic services across parts of the West Midlands abandoned yesterday after over 6 months. The decade-long contracts are estimated to be worth over £65 million. BDA Chair Mick Armstrong said: "This fiasco shows why it’s time to end this race to the bottom in our NHS.”
The process has seen major delays as administrative failings by NHS England have potentially forced the reopening of tenders, while similar moves across other English regions have been facing legal challenges. Practices across the West Midlands have been left uncertain about the future of the process.
In some circumstances children who have been waiting for years to start orthodontic treatment on the NHS may face going to the back of the queue when current providers lost their contracts, with existing patients potentially running the risk of long journeys if they did not live near one the new providers.
The BDA says the tendering processes places huge stress on dedicated practices and encourages a race to the bottom in a bidding war to deliver NHS services at the cheapest price. The BDA is aware of contracts in NHS Southern region, that have already been handed back by successful bidders owing to lack of staff.
Providers have already spent considerable time, energy and money putting together bids – with companies providing support on writing bids at costs of up to £30,000. Emails were sent to all current bidders in the West Midlands region by NHS England yesterday.
The BDA wants the next Government to scrap tendering, and for special consideration for the many high performing practices that have lost their contracts during this process.
BDA Chair Mick Armstrong said: "This fiasco shows why it’s time to end this race to the bottom in our NHS. Children could face going to the back of the queue for braces, or switching provider months or years into a course of treatment. Meanwhile practitioners are already facing huge costs and stress in a bidding war to deliver NHS services at the cheapest price.
"Across England contracts have been taken from committed practitioners and handed to providers without the staff to deliver on them. All on the basis of a paper exercise rather than a serious examination of their capability. The next government should not be applying a ’Seaborne Freight’ model to NHS services. This sort of ’competitive’ tendering does nothing to improve quality and only jeopardises continuity of care.
"NHS orthodontists should not have to squander precious clinical time on a failed process that has a material impact on patients."
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