Dr Foster proposes job cuts as part of business 'restructure'

It plans to refocus on benchmarking quality and efficiency within healthcare, reversing a trend that in recent years has seen it providing a range of consultancy services beyond informatics.

As a result, the company yesterday informed employees it had begun a consultation process, with the possibility of 40 redundancies from its workforce of 150.

In a statement, the company said the changes would help it deliver a better service to customers, while enabling it to expand its international quality benchmarking work.

Dr Foster Intelligence chief executive Tim Baker said the announcement was “driven by a clear refocusing of the Dr Foster business that better aligns the organisation to the fundamental changes seen within the NHS in recent years”.

He added: “This has been a difficult decision to take, and is no reflection on the highly-valued work performed by our employees. Dr Foster, like every other organisation engaged with the NHS, is responding to a changing commercial landscape. All employees affected will be treated with respect, with Dr Foster ensuring they receive access to counselling support.

“Dr Foster is committed to providing the best services to its customers. By refocusing on its core business of benchmarking quality and efficiency within healthcare, Dr Foster will continue in its long term goal of driving improvements in service delivery, patient outcomes and efficiency savings in the UK and globally.”

The staff consultation will last for 30 days.