Memory Assessment Service

Tender description

Commissioners within NHS Hastings and Rother and NHS Eastbourne Hailsham and Seaford CCG are jointly re-commissioning their Memory Assessment Services. The new combined service is offered for tender under a standard NHS contract for a period of 3 years commencing on the 1st April 2020 with option to extend for a maximum of a further two years. The proposed service to be commissioned will provide a Memory Assessment service across the NHS Hastings and Rother and NHS Eastbourne Hailsham and Seaford CCG areas. Improvements in diagnostic provision have been evident within the CCG's over the past 5 years The result being that early access to diagnostic provision and in turn flexible, practical community support services, to enable people to live well with the disease throughout the journey assumes a high priority. The current services currently provide for 1,206 completed diagnostic episodes per annum. The experience of the benefits to be accrued to the whole system has intensified our focus on the improvement of services for older people with dementia. The evolving evidence-base and emerging models of best practice such as Primary Care aligned Dementia Community Support Workers provide opportunities to reflect on how well local diagnostic provision is meeting the needs and aspirations of people living with dementia and their carers. The MAS is a key element of the overall dementia model of care in the CCG areas and its effective, efficient and person centred delivery is therefore of vital importance. Current provision has seen high levels of satisfaction expressed by both patients and referring clinicians and significant progress around integrating IT systems and Data Sharing have been achieved. Learning from a recent independent academic evaluation of the current MAS service model in H&R and EH&S CCG area highlighted the importance of excellent informal as well as formal communications with the referring GP community. In addition diffusion of learning and education across the primary care sector was demonstrated to add significant value to the local primary care economy. Potential providers will be expected to demonstrate how they would ensure the continuing implementation of this learning over the duration of the contract period. The MAS will be required to provide a Care Home In-reach diagnostic and Primary Care Practitioner Dementia Advice Clinic function as part of the service Please access the documents and return your tender response via the e-procurement portal by Midday Tuesday 22nd October 2019.