Questions raised over out-of-hours GP contract

Dr Rob Park (left), here pictured with a colleague, is calling for a pause in the procurement process

The decision to award the contract for Shropshire's out-of-hours GP service to a new company has been questioned by one of the original founders of Shropdoc, which currently provides the service.

Dr Rob Park claimed the consultation carried out by NHS Shropshire Telford and Wrekin had been "minimal" and he feared the new service would not be as good.

Shropshire Lib Dem councillor Bernie Bentick, shadow portfolio holder for public health, said the overall impetus for the move seemed to be to cut costs.

NHS chiefs said they had undertaken a "robust, transparent and fair commissioning process".

NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin (NHS STW) has said the procurement process was still ongoing, but approval had been granted for the "intent to award" the contract to Wiltshire-based Medvivo.

The BBC has approached Medvivo for comment.

Not-for-profit organisation Shropdoc was formed in 1996

Dr Park said Medvivo was part of a venture capital company and said: "They seemingly are going to provide the service for less."

He said not-for-profit Shropdoc was formed in 1996 and had been a success ever since.

"I don't know much about the workings of modern Shropdoc but I do know they have boots on the ground and there's general satisfaction," he said.

"The only way you can cut the service is by using Zoom-type consultations, using paramedics, and really cutting down on the number of doctors you have."

'Absolutely outraged'

Bentick said he believed the value of the current Shropdoc contract was in excess of £10m per year. Under the proposed contract, the GP side of the operation was worth £6m a year.

"Many people in Shropshire are absolutely outraged at the move to stop local GPs seeing local people in the Shropdoc service.

"This service has run for over 20 years and has provided an excellent quality service," he said.

He wants the procurement process to pause.

An NHS statement said: "We have undertaken a robust, transparent and fair commissioning process since August 2024."

It added the NHS had collected a wide range of patient feedback to help understand views.