Trading for Health Services: Lessons from the Competitive Tendering Experience Available to Purchase

The UK Government's White Paper lias met with mixed reactions partly created by the imprecision of the proposals. However, there is a precedent for contracts as, since 1983, competitive tendering has been mandatory for ancillary services in the NHS. This paper explores the experience of competitive tendering, and draw's out the implications for health authorities preparing to extend contracting to clinical services. The need for rigorous monitoring and for building service quality into the contracting process are viewed as paramount if contracting is to be successful.