MORE than 6,000 people have signed a petition demanding the NHS cancel a multi-million pound contract with a private company.

The patient transport service run by Coperforma in Sussex has been beset with problems since it started on April 1 with patients facing long waits and delays.

Questions continue to be asked about how the county’s clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) made the decision to award the £60 million contract.

It has also been confirmed one of Coperforma’s senior managers for Sussex, Stephen Payne, is to leave his post and the position will be taken over by Ian Thompson from May 3.

The company is not issuing any further comment on this.

The county’s CCGs have now launched an independent investigation into what has gone wrong and why, which is expected to be completed in June.

The petition was set up by Sussex Defend the NHS amid growing anger about how the whole process has been handled.

It is calling for the service to be returned to public ownership, following a “botched” privatisation of NHS services.

Carl Walker, from the campaign group, said he hoped it would send a message to the CCGs about people’s strength of feeling.

He said: “This has basically been a ham fisted and poorly done process. I know an investigation is going on but we want the people doing that investigation to take into account just how angry and upset people have felt about this.

“The petition has only been up for a week and we’ve already had thousands of responses, which shows just how much of an impact this has had.”

Hove MP Peter Kyle said he had serious questions to ask of the CCGs and Coperforma.

He said: “Over the last few weeks I have been closely following the shambolic events happening with the patient transport system.

“I am very upset with Coperforma because some of my sickest and most distressed constituents have been very badly let down.

“I’ve asked for things to get better today not tomorrow.

“I am determined to look at the tendering process which decided that Coperforma were the best company to run the service.

“If necessary I will call for them to be removed and for a return to the previous service until a more robust bidding process can be ran.”

Ambulance drivers have also criticised the management of the new service, saying Coperforma is "out of its depth".

High Weald Lewes Havens CCG, which led the contract process on behalf of the county’s CCGs, said no further comment was being made until the independent investigation was finished.

To sign the petition, visit: bit.ly/coperforma-petition