Latest blogs on procurement law

Luckily the title of this blog does not refer to a holiday nightmare but to that rare thing from the English courts' a decision NOT to lift the automatic suspension where a procurement decision has been challenged.

The recent case of Italian Interior Ministry v Fastweb SpA (Case C-19/13) highlights the limited protection that the VEAT notice route can offer to contracting authorities wishing to make direct awards without following an OJEU process.

This was the question considered in the case of Howorth v North Lancashire Teaching Primary Care Trust. Mrs Howorth was employed by the North Lancashire Primary Care NHS Trust as a health visitor. In December 2006 Mrs Howorth was diagnosed with depression was prescribed anti-depressant medication and went on sick leave.

The new partnership aims to share best practice and case studies to help facilitate integrated thinking and integrated care and ultimately streamline health and care pathways for patients.

Clinical commissioners are to help develop the care.data programme into the 'pathfinder stage'. The programme will be rolled out in 265 GP surgeries in the CCG areas of Leeds North, West and South, Somerset, West Hampshire and Blackburn with Darwen.

CCGs and NHS England will continue to follow the existing Part B Services regime and the PPCCR until 18 April 2016. Thereafter the light touch regime for health and social services under the new Directive will replace the existing Part B services regime and will apply in addition to the continued application of the PPCCR.

Arrangements between providers (and possibly commissioners) that are on the face of it anti-competitive may nonetheless be permitted if they improve the provision of healthcare services are necessary for that improvement and do allow the elimination of competition for the provision of those services.

You do not have to automatically disclose all of the reports and analysis you obtain but you should carefully consider if not doing so could be considered unfair.