COMMERCIAL: NHS West Kent has opted to close the Mid Kent Treatment Centre, which is run on its behalf by independent provider Care UK, due to “sufficient alternative capacity”.
A statement from the primary care trust said the decision to close the centre on 4 November had been taken jointly with NHS South East Coast and the Department of Health.
It said: “The Department of Health originally procured a five year contract with Care UK in 2006 to provide services to meet the needs of the local population.
“However after detailed analysis of the service provision in the area it was felt that there is now sufficient alternative capacity with other existing providers, such as Maidstone and Tunbridge Well Trust, to meet the requirements of the West Kent population.
“On that basis the NHS West Kent board, in consultation with DH, decided not to re-procure the contract when it expires in November 2011.”
The PCT said the level of care provided by Care UK has “been of the highest quality” and the decision to end the contract “in no way reflects the service they have offered”.
It added: “During the five year contract the centre has seen over 35,000 day cases and 37,000 chemotherapy episodes. It has maintained the outstanding standards of care and cleanliness with no incidents of MRSA or C difficile and patient satisfaction levels have been consistently at 97 per cent.”
Source
NHS West Kent press statement (see attached, right)
Source date
August 2011
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