healthmedicinet

The peer, who was minister at the Department for Communities and Local
Government between 2010 and 2013, told Health Service Journal: “Addison Lee
is available to senior members of the organisation to ensure they get to
important meetings on time.

“However, I was horrified when I discovered how much my journeys were costing.
I have now stopped using Addison Lee and our finance team is urgently
reviewing our expenses policy with a view to keeping the cost of taxis as
low as possible.”

A spokesman for Monitor said in the last financial year it spent £15,000 on
the Addison Lee contract and that individual users had not been aware of the
cost of particular journeys at the time.

Earlier this year, Simon Stevens, the head of the NHS, called for a clampdown
on spending, and said NHS staff should “think like a patient and act like a
taxpayer”.

A spokesman for Addison Lee said: “Addison Lee offers its clients full
transparency in regards to pricing. In the case of Addison Lee’s accounts
business, the account holder always has sight of our fixed fares.”