E-zec Medical Transport Services (E-zec), England’s largest independent provider of Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services1 (NEPTS), is pleased to announce that it has been awarded the NEPTS contract to supply services across Shropshire by NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and for Powys residents accessing hospital services in Shropshire2.
The two commissioners ran a rigorous procurement process, evaluating companies on a wide range of criteria, including performance, quality of service and value for money. Following this, E-zec has been awarded a five year contract, with the potential for it to be extended by a further two years.
E-zec’s contract commences 1 October 2021 and will provide 100,000 patient journeys each year across Shropshire and Powys. In addition to standard patient transport services, E-zec will support the commissioners by providing a dedicated renal manager to provide enhanced support for dialysis patients across the region, a shuttle service linking the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, plus a support service to facilitate the discharge of long-stay patients and their equipment. To deliver this, E-zec will supply over 55 new vehicles, including specialist bariatric ambulances. The company will operate from three locations across the region: its main base in Shrewsbury, which will include its contact centre, specialist teams and central functions, plus hubs in Powys and North Shropshire.
In addition, E-zec has committed to delivering social value as part of this contract, with a specific focus on maintaining and developing employment opportunities across Shropshire and Powys. The company will be adding to the existing team of colleagues and is interested in receiving applications from individuals who would like to be part of a caring, community driven patient service – full details of the roles available can be found on www.e-zec.co.uk/careers
Wayne Spedding, Operations Director of E-zec said, “We are delighted to have been awarded the contract to provide Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services across Shropshire and Powys. It recognises our commitment to provide the best possible patient centred care. We look forward to working with the commissioning groups, to deliver an innovative, best in class service to all our users across Shropshire and Powys.”
Claire Parker, Director of Partnerships for NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin CCG, added, “We are pleased to appoint E-zec Medical – it has a strong track record as a NEPT provider and will add important new services to our local health economy. We share a common commitment to providing the highest quality of services to our communities so we are looking forward to working together”
For further information, please contact Katherine Ritchie on 020 8347 6183 or 07941 040021
Notes for editors
- Health and social care sectors are undergoing considerable change, driven by the demographics of an ageing population, the need to relieve the pressure on acute services and the focus to increase the delivery of personalised care within the community.
A Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service (NEPTS) provides is non-urgent, pre-booked transport to and from NHS funded points of care (excluding GP appointments) for patients, who are too ill or otherwise, physically unable to make the journey themselves.
NEPTS is an essential part of the NHS value chain that allows individuals living within the community to access health services and ensures that NHS resources are optimised by reducing missed or late appointments.
- The service and booking process for Powys patients who previously used NEPTS to access the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) or Robert Jones Agnes Hunt (RJAH) health care facilities will remain the same.
E-zec Medical is the market leading provider of Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services(NEPTS) to the NHS and the private sector. With a fleet of over 550 vehicles, the company operates patient transport to and from healthcare settings, including specialist high dependency’ crews and ambulances for critical inter-hospital transfers. E-zec is also a leader in bariatric provision, offering a UK-wide bariatric ambulance service, supporting both emergency services and planned hospital visits. Headquartered in Redhill, Surrey, E-zec employs 1,500 specialist staff across 31 depots and in 2020, achieved revenues of £50m.
NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin CCG was created as a single commissioning organisation on 1 April, 2021 and is responsible for planning and buying a wide range of health and care services for the whole of Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin. These include GP and primary care services, hospital care, community healthcare and mental health services.
www.shropshiretelfordandwrekinccg.nhs.uk
Powys Teaching Health Board is responsible for planning, commissioning and providing local health services to address local needs. The very rural nature of Powys means that the majority of local services are provided locally, through GPs and other primary care services, community hospitals and community services. With such a sparsely populated area there is not the critical mass of people locally, to provide a District General Hospital within Powys. Therefore, Powys residents receive specialist hospital services in hospitals outside of the county in both England and Wales.
