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Focus on Independent <strong>Ambulance</strong> Provision<br />

of financially unstable subcontractor<br />

where they were parked for contractual<br />

convenience.<br />

For the transferred patient transport staff<br />

with an emotional commitment to the<br />

NHS this transfer of obligations was not<br />

comparable to an amicable divorce. They<br />

certainly did not feel they were to blame<br />

for the breakdown in their employment<br />

relationship with the NHS; in their eyes<br />

Coperforma were an adulterous third-party<br />

and the CCG a poor judge.<br />

The likelihood of these recent and angry<br />

divorcees rallying around and going the<br />

extra mile to support Coperforma when<br />

they could not get the new software to<br />

work optimally in the early fumbling days of<br />

their new contract is nil.<br />

Though probably for employment contract<br />

reasons, in this situation, the transferred staff<br />

would (through gritted teeth) do at least the<br />

minimum required. They certainly danced<br />

and cheered when Coperforma fell out<br />

of the marital bed and are now no doubt<br />

hoping to get back with their ex as soon as<br />

is decently possible.<br />

Working in patient transport, I learned over<br />

the years and perhaps Coperforma have<br />

also learned recently, that the staff actually<br />

are the service - and I am not saying that in<br />

an emotional or patronising tone, but in an<br />

economic sense - they are the organisation’s<br />

core “capability.” Advanced software, new<br />

technology and new ambulances are all well<br />

and good and of course they have a place,<br />

but it’s the staff who deliver and define the<br />

service.<br />

This commissioning failure will provide<br />

a deep pool of lessons learned for all<br />

concerned. I have no doubt the CCGs<br />

in Sussex will look to the future and<br />

commission an improved patient transport<br />

service and perhaps Coperforma will<br />

come back with an improved model, but<br />

I would advocate that this time around<br />

both consider the patient transport staff’s<br />

psychological contract and give it some<br />

weight in the contract-award process.<br />

Any patient transport provider with a<br />

mature strategic view of human-resource<br />

management that commits to developing<br />

and valuing its core employees (and crucially<br />

the rewards of the patient transport<br />

provider are aligned to the rewards that<br />

the staff receive) will create a competitive<br />

advantage and deliver patients a superior<br />

service.<br />

It does not matter (to me) if these<br />

key attributes are found in an NHS, an<br />

independent sector or a third sector<br />

provider, but what is clear to me is that they<br />

are missing from the offer that Coperforma<br />

sold to the CCG and that’s why I did not<br />

think it would succeed from the very outset.<br />

The views in this opinion piece are<br />

those of Joe Sheehan and are not<br />

necessarily endorsed by <strong>Ambulance</strong><br />

Today. If you would like to discuss<br />

this article with Joe Sheehan please<br />

email him at: JPSS2@kent.ac.uk<br />

Winter 2016 | <strong>Ambulance</strong>today<br />

Winter 2014 | <strong>Ambulance</strong>today3 47

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