VICTORIA Prentis MP has said she is 'extremely concerned' about a decision to strip the Churchill Hospital of a contract to provide vital cancer scans to patients in the Thames Valley.

In a letter to the CEO of NHS England, Simon Stevens, the Tory MP for Banbury called for a clear explanation for the move which will see a deal to provide PET-CT Scans handed to private company InHealth instead.

The hospital, run by Oxford University Hospitals is considered to be a world leader in cancer servicers.

And while NHS England are yet to formally confirm the result of the procurement process, insiders have claimed the deal is as good as done.

Concerns have been raised by doctors, health campaigners and politicians that the move to outsource the service could lead to a more disjointed treatment, and have a negative impact on patients.

Oxford Mail:

Read again: Churchill 'loses' contract for PET-CT scanning

In her letter Ms Prentis writes: "Specifically outsourcing a key service to an offsite provider could make it more difficult for the necessary clinicians from the various disciplines (including surgeons, oncologists, radiotherapists) to meet to decide on the best course of treatment for each patient."

Oxford Mail:

Ms Prentis also said she was 'hugely dismayed' that a decision seemed to have been taken with no prior consultation with Oxfordshire's Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC), and with no communication to MPs.

It is expected the HOSC, made up of local councillors and health professionals, will discuss the move next month and does have powers to refer the decision to the secretary of state Matt Hancock if it sees fit.

Ms Prentis' letter comes after Oxford East MP, Anneliese Dodds, and Abingdon MP, Layla Moran, also raised concerns over the decision last week.

Read again: 'Huge concern' over loss of NHS cancer scans in Oxford

In a letter to a health minister, Labour MP Ms Dodds said:"This kind of privatisation without further public consultation led by the NHS is not just a concern for the citizens of Oxford but also for the provision of public health services in general."

While Lib Dem MP Ms Moran said: “I am deeply worried by the sheer scale of services being outsourced from our NHS and into private business. Patients want to have confidence that when they go into a hospital for treatment, they can receive it all under one roof."

NHS England said last week that an announcement will be made shortly.