Private firm to be awarded £1m health contract at new asylum accommodation site

NHS trust says contract needed ‘for reasons of extreme urgency’ as costs of Rishi Sunak’s controversial asylum military bases and barges mount

(AFP via Getty Images)

A private company is to be awarded a £1.1m contract to provide health services at one of the government’s controversial new large asylum accommodation sites.

The NHS trust covering the disused RAF Wethersfield site in Essex said it was making the agreement without any competition “for reasons of extreme urgency”, after being told 1,700 asylum seekers would be moved there.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick announced the plan in March, but it has been delayed by legal challenges launched by the local council and residents, as well as refurbishment work and safety checks.

The transformation of Wethersfield is part of a wider government scheme to reduce the £6m-a-day cost of housing asylum seekers in hotels by using military bases, a former prison and vessels.

But costs are rapidly mounting, with The Independent previously revealing a £1.6bn contract had been handed to barge operator Corporate Travel Management, while separate funding is paid to police forces, ports, private contractors, councils and health bodies.

A new contract published on Wednesday said Commisceo Primary Care Solutions would be providing health assessments for people arriving at Wethersfield and a dedicated medical centre on-site.

It said the NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board was extending and expanding an existing contract with the firm, and that the total estimated value was £1.1m over 18 months.

A document seen by The Independent said the contract was negotiated without a prior call for competition because of “extreme urgency brought about by events unforeseeable for the contracting authority”.

“The authority was informed by NHS England in Q4 2022-23 of the likely siting of asylum accommodation and support centre at Wethersfield,” it added.

“The authority was required to identify a provider of this service at pace as the initial go live was planned for April.”

The NHS trust said normal competitive procedures “could not be complied with” in the time period before it was told Wethersfield would open start housing people, adding: “As such, the authority have undertaken an analysis of the market and deemed Commisceo to be in the best position to ensure delivery of primary medical services.”

Although the notice was published on the government’s website as an “awarded contract”, NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board said the document was a notice of intention and the contract had not yet been awarded.

A spokesperson said: “Arrangements are being established to meet the primary health and care needs of asylum seekers expected to be housed at Wethersfield.

“The Integrated Care System will continue to work closely with colleagues to make sure that we are able to provide appropriate care for those in need.”

Commisceo Primary Care Solutions has been operating since 2014 and already provides services for several NHS trusts, including a GP surgery at Basildon University Hospital and an urgent treatment centre in Chelmsford.

The contract said the “earliest potential start date” for Wethersfield had subsequently moved to 1 July, but the High Court will not hear a legal challenge against the government’s plans until 12 July.

Councils covering RAF Wethersfield and a Lincolnshire military base being turned into asylum accommodation launched the case after Suella Braverman declared an “emergency” to bypass normal planning permission.

They are arguing that the situation does not meet the threshold for an emergency under planning law, and that the sites are not suitable for vulnerable people in light of the pressure on local services and community impact in rural locations.

The former Wethersfield RAF base is in a rural area (PA) (PA Wire)

Ministers have argued the new sites are necessary to reduce spending on hotel places for asylum seekers, which are currently costing £6m a day, and avoid the risk of homelessness if supply runs out.

A National Audit Office report released last week said that by the end of April, the Home Office was accommodating 109,000 destitute asylum seekers, including 48,000 in hotels, because of a lack of proper accommodation and soaring decision backlogs.

While being grilled by parliament’s Home Affairs Committee, the home secretary said the new sites would “be delivered very soon, and we will be seeing asylum seekers relocated to those sites in the next few months”, and that she aimed to procure more locations for large-scale accommodation.

The Home Office said the first asylum seekers would be moving into military sites this summer, with a spokesperson adding: “Delivering accommodation on surplus military sites will provide cheaper and more orderly, suitable accommodation for those arriving in small boats whilst helping to reduce the use of hotels.

“We are continuing to work extremely closely with local councils, the local NHS and police services, to manage any impact and address the local communities’ concerns, including through substantial financial support.”

This article was amended on 23 June 2023. It previously stated the contract had been awarded but the Trust said it needed to give notice to the market.