Health services

Tender description

NHS Norwich CCG (Coordinating Commissioner), with NHS North and South Norfolk CCGs intend to commission a locally provided Complementary Primary Care led Lymphoedema Service to improve access, promote early intervention, limit disease progression, reduce need for time-intensive therapy, lower cellulitis hospital admission rates. The scope covers patients registered with NHS Norwich, North Norfolk and South Norfolk CCGs. The new contract will commence 1.4.2018 under the NHS Standard Contract for a 3 year term. Aims: Service User focused to improve patient experience/ outcomes, support independence, improve quality of life for those living with and beyond cancer/ cancer treatment, and for those with Lymphoedema where lymphatic failure is a result of an otherwise normal lymphatic system, adaptable to local needs, prevent admission to hospital based care — release outpatient capacity and reduce the number/ duration of hospital admissions or attendances for complications of Lymphoedema. The current Lymphoedema Service commenced as a pilot in November 2016 offering Lymphoedema treatment and self-care advice by a team of Complementary Therapists, non-registered staff trained to British Lymphology Society (BLS) standards in treatment / management of Lymphoedema including measuring and fitting of hosiery, and lymphatic drainage. NHS Norwich CCG (Coordinating Commissioner), with NHS North Norfolk and South Norfolk CCGs intend to commission a Complementary Primary Care led Lymphoedema Service with a provider who will work with the CCGs and local health system to provide an easily accessible service that improves equity of access, promotes early intervention, limits disease progression, reduces the need for time-consuming intensive therapy, and lowers hospital admission rates for cellulitis. Locally delivered, the service scope will cover those registered with practices within the stated CCGs localities, focusing on prevention, assessment, diagnosis and treatment of Lymphoedema to deliver a service that is Service User focused, adaptable to local needs and delivers on prevention of admission to hospital based care, clinical effectiveness outcomes and supports independence of the individual. The service will not cover children and young people (0-16 years of age), who will be seen within child specific services. Patients presenting with active cellulitis or an open wound will also be out of scope. The new contract is planned to start from 1.4.2018 under the NHS Standard Contract for a period of 3 years. The new service aims are to improve patient experience, improve the quality of life for those living with and beyond cancer and cancer treatment, and for those with Lymphoedema where lymphatic failure is a result of an otherwise normal lymphatic system. The proposed service will release outpatient capacity and reduce the number and duration of hospital admissions or attendances for complications of Lymphoedema. The NHS must develop new ways of delivering care to consider changing needs of patients. It must improve productivity and efficiency in order to bridge an estimated financial gap. NHS organisations need to work with the local system to break down barriers between services, tackle waste and variations in care. Sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) are place-based plans for improving health and care services, that set out how the NHS five year forward view will be delivered locally, a shift away from the focus on competition as a means of improving health services and instead a focus on NHS organisations to collaborate with each other and local partners. Local service delivery challenges have been experienced in part due to increased demand, the need to change the way care is delivered in accordance with the local STP to ease pressures on acute services and increase community provision, and due to difficulties from a shortage of individuals with specialist skills working in this area to undertake the role. Therefore, as the anticipated new service contract value is below the legislative competition OJEU threshold, the Commissioners have decided to undertake a limited competitive Request For Quotation and Proposal (RFQ/RFP) process, in accordance with the NHS Standard Financial Instructions guidance and guiding principles for public procurement of transparency, equal treatment and proportionality. This Prior Information Notice (PIN) is to advise the marketplace of the Commissioners' intention to approach a predetermined set of chosen local providers and undertake a RFQ/P process — no expressions of interest are sought from the publication of this advisory notice, and there will be no publication of a Contract Notice for this requirement. This PIN is to advise the marketplace of Commissioners' intention to undertake a RFQ/P process, and advanced warning of the proposed action to give potential providers in the market place a chance to raise any comment regarding this approach.