A healthcare support company must wait to find out if it can keep its multi-million pound contract for cleaning and catering services at Watford General Hospital.

West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the Vicarage Road facility, is putting the soft facilities contract out for tender.

Medirest has been providing soft facilities management services, including portering, laundry and pest control, at hospitals in West Hertfordshire for around 10 years.

The provisional cost for the service ranges from between £9 million and £10 million per year, with the current contract running until 2021.

In a briefing paper, the trust explained a competitive tendering process would aim to achieve and demonstrate value for money and provide a “best in class” and quality management service.

In a statement, the trust said: “Like all NHS bodies, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust is always looking for the best value from our suppliers.

“We are currently in contract negotiations with Medirest and we cannot comment until this process is concluded.”