§ Earl Howeasked Her Majesty's Government:
What potential private finance initiative contracts for acute hospitals are currently subject to bids from private sector service providers; when the bidding process for each project began; and, in the case of any such project under negotiation for longer 43WA than 12 months, what the principal reasons are for the delay in closing the deal. [HL4345]
§ Baroness AndrewsListed as follows are the acute hospitals currently subject to bids from private sector service providers.
Information on the date the bidding process began (that is the date bids appear in the Official Journal of the European Communities (OJEC)) is only collected for major prioritised schemes.
Major Prioritised Schemes Trust Capital Value £ Million OJEC Projected Financial Close Barts & The London 620 14/02/2002 10/2004 Bradford Teaching Hospitals 191 15/05/2003 09/2005 Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals 44 19/07/2002 04/2004 Hull & East Yorkshire Hospitals 56 31/12/2002 06/2004 Lewisham Hospital 47 30/06/2002 02/2004 Mid Essex Hospital Services 110 30/11/2002 10/2004 Mid Yorkshire Hospitals 211 31/10/2002 09/2004 North Middlesex University Hospital 74 05/12/2002 11/2004 North West London Hospitals-Central Middlesex 69 31/05/2002 09/2003 Oxford Radcliffe Hospital 94 31/10/2002 10/2004 Salford Royal Hospitals 194 15/05/2003 05/2005 Sherwood Forest Hospitals 125 29/04/2003 04/2005 St Helens & Knowsley Hospitals 229 31/10/2002 10/2004 Tameside & Glossop Acute Services 84 31/07/2003 09/2005 University Hospital Birmingham 379 30/04/2002 07/2004 University Hospital of North Staffordshire 269 31/08/2002 09/2004 University Hospitals of Leicester 403 31/12/2002 01/2005
All other schemes over £10 million (OJEC dales not collected centrally) Trust Capital Value£ Million Projected Financial Close Addenbrookes NHS Trust 76 01/2004 Daventry & South Northamptonshire PCT 24 01/2004 East Lancashire Hospitals -Burnley 30 11/2003 Kingstone Hospital 28 10/2003 New Forest PCT-Lymington 36 08/2004 Newham Healthcare 42 10/2003 Northgate & Prudhoe 14 09/2004 Nottingham Healthcare 19 01/2004 Queen Mary's Roehampton 43 10/2003 Salisbury Healthcare 22 01/2004 Sheffield Teaching Hospitals 30 06/2004 Stoke Mandeville 47 10/2003 Taunton & Somerset 18 03/2004 Department of Health guidance assumes an indicative timetable from OJEC to financial close of 18 months for major schemes, but this is dependent upon 44WA the complexity and value of the scheme. Since March 2002 process improvements have been introduced to streamline the procurement process and ensure that the NHS obtains the best value from the current market.
§ Earl Howeasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether and to what extent the introduction of rules relating to retention of employment has been a contributory factor to delays in finalising private finance initiative contracts for acute hospitals since May 2001. [HL4346]
§ Baroness AndrewsA delay of five months was experienced in assessing the retention of employment model (RoE) at the three pilot site trusts (Havering, Stoke Mandeville and Queen Mary's Roehampton). Although not included in the pilot schemes, Walsgrave had received bids and was therefore evaluated alongside them.
The model was approved in March 2002 and endorsed by Unison's health group executive in July 2002.
Walsgrave was the first project to use the new RoE model and signed contracts in November 2002.
§ Earl Howeasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in respect of private finance initiative projects currently in the bidding process, all outstanding issues between private sector service providers and acute National Health Service trusts concerning retention of employment have now been satisfactorily resolved; if not, what issues remain to be resolved; and what is their estimate of the timescale for reaching financial close. [HL4347]
§ Baroness AndrewsThere are no outstanding issues between private sector service providers and acute National Health Service trusts concerning retention of employment (RoE model).
The model was approved in March 2002 and endorsed by Unison's health group executive in July 2002.
Walsgrave was the first project to use the new model and signed contracts in November 2002, followed by Southern Derbyshire in September 2003.
The retention of employment model has now formally been launched and is incorporated into the standard form contract (version 3) which all trusts must adhere to when incorporating "soft" FM services.