Responding to the announcement that Circle is planning to withdraw from its contract to operate Hinchingbrooke NHS Trust, chief executive of the NHS Confederation Rob Webster said:
“Circle’s decision to withdraw from its contract to operate Hinchingbrooke NHS Trust is disappointing, but reflects the very challenging environment within the NHS.
"The immediate priority must be an orderly transition in Hinchingbrooke, managed by local commissioners, the Trust Development Authority and Circle, which ensures that there is no disruption to patient care.
“It is important not to make sweeping conclusions on the role of the independent sector in the NHS based on this case. Independent sector providers have long provided a diverse range of high quality NHS services across thousands of contracts.
“All parts of the NHS are facing huge pressures as demand for care grows and our members are working tirelessly to respond to this. If we are to effectively tackle these pressures then the health and care system will need to implement new models of care which better meet the needs of their local patients and communities, something highlighted both by the Dalton review and NHS England’s Five Year Forward View.
“Lessons learned from this must inform the broader work being done to implement new models of care and transform patient services across the NHS."
