Coronavirus: NHS test and trace system fails to reach a quarter of cases July 2, 2020 A quarter of people in England testing positive with coronavirus is still not being reached by the government’s test and trace system, according to new figures. Figures from the Department of Health and Social Services show that only 75 per cent of the 6,183 people who tested positive for Covid-19, between 18 and 25 June, [...]
The City View: Matthew Elliott on why the mood music points to a Brexit deal July 2, 2020 In this episode Christian is joined by Matthew Elliott, a veteran political campaigner, having been CEO of two successful referendum campaigns – NOtoAV in 2011 and Vote Leave in 2016. He also founded the TaxPayers’ Alliance, Big Brother Watch, Business for Britain and Brexit Central. He has been described by the New Statesman as “one of the [...]
Serco boss defends ‘remarkable’ coronavirus test and trace system July 1, 2020 The boss of outsourcing giant Serco has issued a strident defence of the NHS’ coronavirus “test and trace” system, calling it a “huge achievement”. Speaking to City AM’s City View podcast, Rupert Soames said that 114,000 people had agreed to isolate after being contacted within the first three weeks of the programme. The company has [...]
The City View: Rupert Soames, CEO of Serco, says private sector has ‘proven itself’ during crisis July 1, 2020 In this episode Christian talks to Rupert Soames, CEO of the outsourcing giant Serco, about the private sector’s relationship with government. Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS Serco, which manages the government’s coronavirus test and trace system, has been on a dramatic turnaround in recent years, something which Soames says was made possible by a commitment to excellence [...]
Mitie snaps up Interserve facilities arm to create outsourcing giant June 25, 2020 Mitie will buy the facilities management arm of rival outsourcer Interserve for £271m, the company announced today, creating a new business with nearly 80,000 employees. The move will make the company the UK’s largest facilities management group, and see Mitie increase its interests in the country’s lucrative outsourcing industry. The acquisition, which was confirmed this [...]
England’s Test and Trace system misses one in four people with coronavirus June 18, 2020 The number of contacts made by positive coronavirus cases identified by England’s NHS Test and Trace system increased to 44,895 in its second week, but it missed one in four infected patients. The Department of Health said today that 5,949 people who tested positive for coronavirus had their case transferred to the contact tracing system [...]
Serco shares leap as it reinstates full year guidance June 17, 2020 Serco shares shot up this morning as it announced it would reinstate guidance for the year following strong performance in the first half of the year. Shares in the public services provider jumped 17.89 per cent this morning after it reported a 23 per cent increase in revenue. Underlying trading profit was around 50 per [...]
Capita shares dive 20 per cent on full year losses March 5, 2020 Shares in outsourcer Capita plunged 20 per cent this morning after it announced a £62m loss before tax for 2019. Capita said loss before tax was £62.6m, down from a profit of £272.6m last year. Revenue fell from £3.91bn last year to £3.67bn this year. In 2018, Capita launched a sweeping turnaround plan under new [...]
Government at risk of another Carillion-style failure, warns report March 4, 2020 The government is at risk of another Carillion-style collapse if it does not support the reforms proposed after the outsourcing giant’s collapse two years ago. In a new report, the Institute for Government (IfG) has said that the government has “not consistently” followed the Cabinet Office’s new guidelines as to how large contracts are awarded [...]
Serco grows revenue for first times since 2013 as outsourcer puts past behind it February 26, 2020 Outsourcing giant Serco posted its first year of revenue growth since 2013 and paid its first dividend since 2014 as the firm entered the new decade in style. Shares in the firm rose over three per cent over the day’s trading. The figures Revenue grew 15 per cent in 2019, from £2.8bn in 2018 to [...]