Contractor is selected as preferred bidder on south London NHS programme

Contractor Carillion has been appointed preferred bidder for the South London clinical centres programme. The contract is worth £175m over five years.

Carillion is working in a 50:50 joint venture with Lodestone Patient Care, UK provider of diagnostic imaging services.

The principal part of the contract is building a surgical centre at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup, with other existing facilities being refurbished.

The new and refurbished facilities are expected to open in 2008.

John McDonough, chief executive of Carillion, said the company would be working with 11 primary care trusts and 11 NHS trusts to provide healthcare services to residents of south-east and south-west London.

He said: “The new facilities will bring improved choice and access for NHS patients to local, high quality elective care and will make a key contribution to meeting the government’s 18-week waiting target.”