The trust had selected Atrumed Healthcare to run the urgent treatment centre (UTC) at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital in a contract worth £5 million over three to five years. However, the current provider, North Hampshire Urgent Care Limited (NHUC), which has operated the service since it opened in November 2024, challenged the decision.
An Independent Procurement Panel reviewed the case and concluded in a report published in April that the trust’s selection process was so flawed it must start again from scratch.
The panel found that HHFT wrongly used a “Most Suitable Provider” process – designed for situations where the commissioner already knows the market well – when it should have run a full competition. The trust claimed it was familiar with four potential providers but received expressions of interest from 11 organisations, six of which submitted proposals.
Among the key failings, the panel found the trust had run what was effectively a competitive tender whilst claiming it wasn’t, failed to set basic selection criteria for providers, kept inadequate records of key decisions, and didn’t share its scoring methodology with bidding organisations.
The trust also confused providers by initially suggesting it wanted a single operator for urgent treatment centres at both Basingstoke Hospital and Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester, then apparently changing its mind about the Winchester contract.
When NHUC raised concerns on January 8, the trust responded on January 15 whilst simultaneously confirming it would proceed with awarding the contract to Atrumed – denying NHUC the opportunity to respond to the information provided.
The panel said: “The number and significance of the breaches of the PSR regulations in terms of their potential effect on the outcome of the provider selection process means that there cannot be any confidence that HHFT would have selected the same provider had it conducted a provider selection process in accordance with the PSR regulations.”
HHFT told the panel it believed any shortcomings were not material and that it had “still got to the outcome that we would always have achieved”. However, the panel disagreed, describing the breaches as “highly material”.
The trust confirmed it would pause signing the contract with Atrumed for the duration of the review, despite announcing the contract in December 2025.
NHUC’s contract for the Basingstoke UTC was due to end on March 31, 2026.
A spokesperson for HHFT said: “Although disappointed by the outcome, we acknowledge the findings of the panel and will review our processes going forward.
“A new provider is delivering an interim service, ensuring patients receive efficient urgent care – something that helps them avoid using the Emergency Department.
“Hampshire Hospitals will reflect on its procurement practices in light of this decision and will consider how best to approach the market going forward.”