THE patient transport company being stripped of its contract breached health regulator rules by not having a licensed manager on site to run their operations, it has emerged.

A report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has laid bare some more of the problems at Coperforma including not having a registered manager and using ambulances which were unsafe.

The news comes after the company was stripped of its contract to carry out non-emergency patient transport in Sussex on Tuesday following a string of Argus articles on its poor performance and woeful industrial relations.

Meanwhile Coperforma suffered another blow with the departure of company chairman and Tesco heir, John Porter.

On July 12 and 13, following more than 50 complaints from patients' relatives and hospital staff, the CQC inspected Coperforma to check that services were safe, effective, caring and well-led.

It has concluded that the company was in breach of the conditions of their registration by failing to have a manager who was registered with the CQC in charge of day to day running of the service. It is a condition of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 that they should have one.

The member of staff who told inspectors they were going to apply for a licence only worked two days a week. The report concludes: “It was unclear how they would be in day to day management of the service.”

Inspectors also found Coperforma had not checked whether its Sussex bases should be licensed by the CQC.

The report states: “It was unclear whether the provider fully understood their legal requirements with regard to the Health and Social Care Act.”

The CQC also found that vehicles used by Coperforma were not always safe and appropriate, and that there were not sufficient vehicles to cope with demand at the start of the contract.

It said patients were treated with respect and kindness.

A spokeswoman for Wendy Carberry, chief officer of the lead commissioning group which appointed Coperforma, declined to confirm what steps the CCG had taken to check Coperforma were competent to carry out their brief.

The spokeswoman said: “We will review the CQC’s report, and oversee Coperforma implementing its recommendations in what remains of the contract.”

Meanwhile documents released on Companies House show that Coperforma chairman John Porter, grandson of Tesco founder Jack Cohen, left his position as a director of the company on September 27.

A spokesman for Coperforma declined to comment on the CQC report or the departure of the company chairman.

COMPLEX HANDOVER DETAILS MUST BE IRONED OUT

THIS damning Care Quality Commission report came out just hours after The Argus broke the news the company was to be stripped of its Sussex patient transport contract.

The NHS has now clarified some issues regarding the handover of the contract to the South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) – which is due to be finalised by April 1 of next year – but many other issues are still up in the air.

The Argus asked High Weald Lewes and Havens clinical commissioning group (CCG), the lead among the seven Sussex CCGs which awarded the contract, whether Coperforma would be paid in full for a whole year.

A spokesman for chief officer Wendy Carberry explained the CCG is committed to not paying twice for services. So if SCAS can take over all of Coperforma’s current brief, Coperforma will not be paid for work it does not carry out.

He also confirmed the “full terms of the contract will be applied”, adding: “Where this includes financial penalties these will be applied.”

However the complex details of the handover have yet to be confirmed by all parties. In the meantime the contract continues between Coperforma and the seven Sussex CCGs.

Details which have yet to be ironed out include disputed invoices between Coperforma and its subcontractors. The Argus understands that Thames Ambulances Services claims Coperforma owes it in the region of £750,000 for work carried out over the period of May to September. However Coperforma said there was nothing outstanding.

We also do not know whether the process may yet be subject to challenge. The CCG spent months on a multi-stage procurement and selection process the first time around, and a CCG spokesman said: “Coperforma were appointed following a robust, open, fair and transparent procurement process.”

However the terms of the contract left it open only to those offering a “managed” system – disqualifying companies including previous provider Secamb, which would have provided both call handling and vehicles.

The Argus understands that neither Thames Ambulances – which has recently won a patient transport contract in Lincolnshire – nor previous provider Secamb intend to challenge the SCAS appointment. But there may be other firms who feel differently. SCAS will provide call handling and vehicles.

Finally, we await the outcome of an NHS England investigation into a misleading answer given to Parliament over the CCG’s instructions to Coperforma once it discovered that Coperforma was using an unlicensed ambulance firm.

Health Minister Philip Dunne said when the CCG became aware Coperforma was using an unlicensed ambulance firm the CCG told it to stop. In fact no such instruction was given and the minister has corrected his statement.