French IT giant Atos denies facing financial issues that could severely impact the NHS and other public services.
In a news story from 18 June 2024, reports emerged that the UK government had secret talks regarding cashflow issues affecting Atos, which holds nearly a billion pounds’ worth of UK government contracts, including technology services for NHS England and hospitals.
Atos’ work within the UK public sector includes overseeing the technology for NHS records in hospitals and conducting disability benefit assessments for personal independence payments.
The company acknowledged its £3.2 billion debt in April 2024, as reported by Bloomberg.
Internal government documents, reportedly obtained by i and mistakenly released by the Cabinet Office, warned of “severe implications” for the continuity of “critical” public services, such as NHS appointments and benefits, if Atos’ UK arm were to collapse.
The government is apprehensive about potential disruptions to NHS appointments and health record sharing if financial issues impede Atos from delivering services.
Despite this, a spokesperson for Atos assured Digital Health News that the firm is currently undergoing financial restructuring and has reached an agreement with a Consortium and its creditors to ensure a stable financial future globally and in the UK.
They emphasized that service provision to customers remains unaffected, and they will continue delivering high-quality services to the UK public sector, as they have been doing for over 30 years.
The government is exploring alternative IT providers who could step in to offer services for major departments like the NHS, Home Office, and Department for Work and Pensions, i reported.
Documents also revealed that the government enlisted advisory firm PwC for a risk assessment project named ‘Project Aztec’ to evaluate the likelihood of Atos overcoming its financial troubles and assess the potential impact of its collapse on key services.
A spokesperson for the Cabinet Office informed Digital Health News that regular supplier reviews are conducted, and additional due diligence is carried out to ensure the continuity of public services under various circumstances.
They noted that a notice about Atos had been mistakenly published and has been reissued in the proper format.
In a separate incident in 2017, Atos faced a multi-million pound lawsuit from the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust over alleged service delivery failures.
