A patient transport tender has been awarded to the North West Ambulance Service after Arriva dropped out of the £66.8m tender bid, the Manchester Evening News reported.
Arriva Transport Solutions has been operating the Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services (NEPTS) in Greater Manchester since April 2013, after it undercut the North West Ambulance Service by £3.5m to secure the contract.
The firm confirmed it was pulling out of the tender process for a new NEPTS deal when the current three-year deal comes to an end next summer.
The new contract – worth £66.8m over the next five years – had been awarded to the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) which will work with lead ambulance commissioners at the Blackpool Clinical Commissioning Group (BCCG) and Greater Manchester commissioners to ensure a smooth transition from Arriva.
NWAS Chief Executive Bob Williams said: “We are extremely pleased that the North West Ambulance Service has today been awarded the five-year contract for patient transport services in Greater Manchester. However, this news is tinged with disappointment that the contract award has not been replicated in Cheshire.
“The Trust submitted a bid to provide patient transport services for each of the North West counties and was successful in Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Lancashire and Cumbria. The Trust lost the Greater Manchester contract to a private provider in 2013 so it is particularly gratifying to win back the delivery of patient transport in this area and we look forward to delivering improved standards of patient care to Greater Manchester patients.”
