NSL (company)

NSL is an outsourcing company formed in Spring 2007 by the demerger of NCP into two separate businesses. It provides parking services, bus and coach operations, city centre CCTV monitoring, back office processing,[1] streetscape consultancy and debt recovery.

The company first demerged as NCP Services in 2007, and became NSL Services Group in April 2009. In January 2017 NSL was acquired by Marston Holdings.

Services

Passenger transport
Optare Versa at Shepherd's Bush Green on route 283 in June 2009

NCP Challenger commenced trading on 12 November 2005, having successfully tendered to operate routes 33 and 419 under contract to Transport for London.[2]

In April 2009, NCP Challenger was rebranded NSL Buses.[3] On 13 November 2009, NSL buses was sold to Transdev with operations taken over by its London United subsidiary.[4][5]

Patient transport

NSL patient transport includes services for non-emergency, high-dependency, bariatric and secure/mental health patients. NSL is the largest private non-emergency patient transport provider in the UK, transporting over 2m patients to and from their appointments every year. NSL is a member of the Independent Ambulance Association (IAA).

It was chosen by NHS Kent and Medway in January 2013 to provide non-emergency patient transport. [6]

Other services

NSL also provide a number of other services. These include:

  • Park and ride sites in Oxford and Durham.
  • Planning and designing "streetscapes" through its consultancy arm, Project Centre.
  • Traffic rule enforcement, parking and traffic attendants.
  • Care services: patient transfers to the NHS.

Criticism

At a January 2012 employment tribunal, NSL was described as "predatory and dishonest".[7]

NSL has been subject to investigation into unfair practices by Channel 4's Cutting Edge programme.[8]

Westminster Council CEOs (outsourced to NSL) have also been filmed using illegal tactics to block cars. [9]

In January 2014 The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said the service did not meet mandatory standards in four out of five areas. It found patients had experienced long waits and some staff had not undergone criminal record checks.[10] In April 2014 the clinical commissioning groups in Kent agreed to provide an extra £1.6m for their contract as part of a "last chance" deal to improve its performance. Ian Ayres, chief officer for West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group, which manages the contract on behalf of eight CCGs in Kent and Medway told the Kent County Council Scrutiny Committee; "the information which was available to commissioners drawing up the invitation to tender was incomplete, and therefore so was the specification."[11]

References
  1. "Consultancy Services". NSL Services Group. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  2. Competition for London bus contracts increases as NCP awarded two routes Transport for London 23 March 2005
  3. Worthing's parking firm NCP Services changes name to NSL Worthing Herald 1 June 2009
  4. NSL sells London buses to Transdev Bus & Coach Professional 24 November 2009
  5. Report 2009 Transdev
  6. "Kent and Medway pens patient transport contract". Health Service Journal. 16 January 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  7. "Parking ticket whistleblower receives £20,000 payout". BBC News. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  8. NSL Services Ltd - Who gave you permission to talk to the TV crew, archived from the original on 2021-12-20, retrieved 2015-11-03
  9. llegal Traffic Wardens London Westminster City Council, archived from the original on 2021-12-20, retrieved 2015-11-03
  10. "NSL Kent private ambulance service could face closure". BBC News. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  11. "CCGs strike 'last chance' deal to rescue ambulance contract". Health Service Journal. 25 April 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
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