Health services

Tender description

NHS Vale Royal CCG and NHS South Cheshire CCG are looking for a single provider for a Community based Pain Management Service. The service will assess all cases of Chronic Pain (pain lasting longer than 3 months) for whom GPs require further management advice with the intention of providing a clear management plan and appropriate support for both the patient and the GP. It is expected that the service will support patients to manage their chronic pain in the community whenever possible. A key component of the service will be the ability to assess and treat patients within a multidisciplinary model having local access to a range of disciplines and high quality interventions that can deal with the physical, psychological, social and behavioural needs of patients with chronic pain. Initially the focus will be MSK conditions (including neurological) with a view to expanding the service beyond. Contract will be for 2 years with option to extend by up to 12 months. NHS Vale Royal CCG and NHS South Cheshire CCG are looking for a single provider for a Community based Pain Management Service. The Community Pain Management Service (CPMS) will provide a multi-disciplinary interface service between GP practices, community services and acute settings in South Cheshire and Vale Royal. The philosophy of the service is to provide the best options of care, ensuring patients are seen by the most appropriate healthcare professional, at the appropriate time and in the appropriate place, whilst optimising the best health outcome for the patient. This will be managed through effective collaborative clinical triage and delivery of the management of chronic pain through a comprehensive bio-psychosocial model. The service promotes long-term self-management and less dependency on wider health care services such as A&E, GPs, secondary care, ambulance services and mainstream physiotherapy. Pain management services should be delivered through a three tier system: — Tier 1 — primary care services from GPs, community pharmacists, pain self-help organisations/groups and community based physical therapy; — Tier 2 — community services offering pain management programmes, pain relief and medication management, IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) services, web based and paper based self-management resources; and — Tier 3 — Interventions for patients with complex needs that cannot be provided at tier 2 e.g. injections. These interventions can be provided in a community setting where safe and appropriate. Where this is not possible they may be provided in an acute setting. — An expert screening team is advised between Tier 1 and Tier 2. The comprehensive CPMS Tier 2 service in South Cheshire and Vale Royal will consist of a multi-disciplinary team that can manage patient's physical, psychological and social needs associated with pain. It will ensure patients experiencing chronic pain are appropriately managed in a community environment and for those patients requiring secondary care, to be referred into (an appropriate hospital setting) a tier three service when they need specialist interventions; and to be transferred back to Tier 1 or Tier 2 setting as appropriate once Tier 3 intervention is complete. The service will act as a single point of access for patients referred with chronic pain of at least 3 months duration with an acceptance that the pain has become chronic pain not of a short term nature. Health Care Professionals (HCPs) will provide a holistic assessment including explanation of the cause(s) of an individual patient's pain and its associated effects on psychological, physical, social functioning, wellbeing and the impact on quality of life.