In light of significant public and media interest in this issue at present, this statement clarifies the current position.
Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust currently provides the Thames Valley regional Positron Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography (PET-CT) service in the Cancer Centre at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford.
This service is commissioned by NHS England – this means that NHS England is responsible for any decisions about the contract to provide this service.
Our governors and our Trust Board are concerned about the impact on the quality and safety of patient care if the Trust loses the contract for the PET-CT service. Our Chief Executive has raised these concerns with NHS England who commission this service on behalf of patients.
It is important to stress that, contrary to some of the recent media coverage, NHS England has not made a public announcement about the contract for the future provision of the Thames Valley regional PET-CT service which is currently provided at the Churchill Hospital.
The Trust has been invited to speak on this issue, particularly in relation to patient safety and quality, at the Oxfordshire Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC) meeting on 4 April. The HOSC has also asked NHS England to attend the meeting to explain the situation.
Any further questions or queries should be directed to NHS England as the commissioner of the service, rather than to us as the current provider of the service.