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of financially unstable subcontractor
where they were parked for contractual
convenience.
For the transferred patient transport staff
with an emotional commitment to the
NHS this transfer of obligations was not
comparable to an amicable divorce. They
certainly did not feel they were to blame
for the breakdown in their employment
relationship with the NHS; in their eyes
Coperforma were an adulterous third-party
and the CCG a poor judge.
The likelihood of these recent and angry
divorcees rallying around and going the
extra mile to support Coperforma when
they could not get the new software to
work optimally in the early fumbling days of
their new contract is nil.
Though probably for employment contract
reasons, in this situation, the transferred staff
would (through gritted teeth) do at least the
minimum required. They certainly danced
and cheered when Coperforma fell out
of the marital bed and are now no doubt
hoping to get back with their ex as soon as
is decently possible.
Working in patient transport, I learned over
the years and perhaps Coperforma have
also learned recently, that the staff actually
are the service - and I am not saying that in
an emotional or patronising tone, but in an
economic sense - they are the organisation’s
core “capability.” Advanced software, new
technology and new ambulances are all well
and good and of course they have a place,
but it’s the staff who deliver and define the
service.
This commissioning failure will provide
a deep pool of lessons learned for all
concerned. I have no doubt the CCGs
in Sussex will look to the future and
commission an improved patient transport
service and perhaps Coperforma will
come back with an improved model, but
I would advocate that this time around
both consider the patient transport staff’s
psychological contract and give it some
weight in the contract-award process.
Any patient transport provider with a
mature strategic view of human-resource
management that commits to developing
and valuing its core employees (and crucially
the rewards of the patient transport
provider are aligned to the rewards that
the staff receive) will create a competitive
advantage and deliver patients a superior
service.
It does not matter (to me) if these
key attributes are found in an NHS, an
independent sector or a third sector
provider, but what is clear to me is that they
are missing from the offer that Coperforma
sold to the CCG and that’s why I did not
think it would succeed from the very outset.
The views in this opinion piece are
those of Joe Sheehan and are not
necessarily endorsed by Ambulance
Today. If you would like to discuss
this article with Joe Sheehan please
email him at: JPSS2@kent.ac.uk
Winter 2016 | Ambulancetoday
Winter 2014 | Ambulancetoday3 47