BUPA Physiotherapy Tender Process

[thephysiosvoice]

THE PHYSIO'S VOICE SAYS "LISTEN TO PHYSIOBOB"

Thanks for all the support last night.

Please, Spread the Love

TPV

[ckaren]

Thank you for that interesting report Physiobob.

What percentage of the independant physiotherapists are expected to boycott the initial tender?

Unless a high proportion of private practitioners boycott the tender we may actually be playing into the hands of BUPA who may award tenders to the few that have agreed to their initial demands.

[thephysiosvoice]

Spot on about the numbers. But, also pity those who will be left to pick up the pieces. Yes, some private practices rammed to the rafters with BUPA patients - it's never good to have all your eggs in 1 basket.

The issue here is BUPA can get out of the 4 year contract whenever they like. IF you Tender and are successful then you CANNOT get out of the contract for 4 years, so what will BUPA do then?

They'll pull the contract you are on, knowing you have a clinic full of BUPA patients and re-offer a new contract to you for, say a 50% discounted price......

How do we get more people involved? Go viral, use the web.....that's why we post.

If you email 10 clinics, today and tell them to email another 10 clinics and they do the same.....

This is not a London problem. This is not a large clinic problem. This is about the UK. North, South, East and West. This is about the individual practitioner and the groups. We are all involved.

Spread the Love

TPV

[physiobob]

Thank you for that interesting report Physiobob.

What percentage of the independant physiotherapists are expected to boycott the initial tender?

Unless a high proportion of private practitioners boycott the tender we may actually be playing into the hands of BUPA who may award tenders to the few that have agreed to their initial demands.

We cannot say really. We cannot work as a collective and so only could offer up what we would do as individuals. I would hope the majority boycott. Of course only a small percentage of the currently BUPA registered physios will win a tender anyhow. That number is likely to be as low as 1000 (if of course anyone does tender). That in itself is only 1000 of the over 13,000 physio's working in the private sector. This is an issue for the 13,000 and more.

Some larger practices have built themselves on seeing BUPA clients. They pay and employ their staff based on getting that income. Worse than that they do all the billing for BUPA and BUPA pay them on account. Outrageous behaviour I know but with no major rate cuts in recent times that has been a gravey train for some. Unfortunately that puts them in the worst position of all. They have to look after their businesses and their staff.

If we all say NO then they will be OK as the tender will collapse and things will probably remain as they are. They should then start to charge clients directly and back out of the mess they have got themselves into. If however the tender is successful and they don't tender then there is the possibility of real business collapse for some of them. (and some do think like that as it could be very real for some of them). I hate to say it but many of us have been warning them for years. I can understand, however disappointing, why they might therefore tender.

We need to all say NO to any tender for services by a PMI. We need to maintain our autonomy and our right to be a primary care practitioner to the citizens of the UK. Any PMI contract should be between them and their clients and we should take no part in it whatsoever.

Who else is saying NO? Say NO and help your fellow physio's, those of the future and those of today!