NHS franchising approval

Tribal Group PLC
19 December 2002

For immediate release

Tribal Group plc

Tribal Group approved, as one of eight companies, to manage failing NHS
hospitals

Tribal Group, the consultancy and professional support services organisation,
announces today that through its wholly owned subsidiary, Secta Group, it has
been selected as one of eight companies to have been accepted onto the NHS
Franchising Register, drawn up by the NHS Franchise Registration Panel
established by the Secretary of State for Health.



The companies on the register will be invited to tender for the franchises to
manage 'zero-star' hospitals early in the New Year.  It is expected that three
hospitals ; the United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust, the Royal United Hospital
Bath NHS Trust and the Good Hope Hospital, Birmingham, will have new management
teams under the franchise agreement.



Tribal Group's aim will be to deliver much needed short-term improvements in
healthcare delivery, while working in the medium and long term to build a strong
and successful platform for NHS management teams subsequently to take forward.
Tribal Group remains committed to the public service ethos and sees intervention
as just that - a relatively short term injection of focussed expertise to help
the poorly performing pockets of the public sector raise standards to those of
the very best.



Henry Pitman, Chief Executive of Tribal Group, commented: 'This is a very
exciting opportunity for the Group.  We are one of the leading consultancy and
support services businesses in healthcare and are able to provide a
comprehensive range of services to the sector.  The Group is already providing
strategic management support in education and social services, and  our
selection to the NHS franchising register further demonstrates our ability to
offer these services across the public sector.'



For further information contact:

Henry Pitman, Chief Executive      Tribal Group plc        Tel:[phone]





END


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