Health and social work services

Tender description

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care acting as part of the Crown through Public Health England (PHE) has appointed Brighton And Sussex University Hospital trust as a provider of public health microbiology services for South East Region including delivery of diagnostic laboratory tests and public health clinical interpretation and advice, to support PHE and Department of Health and other stakeholder both locally and nationally. The Public Health (PH) Microbiology Service comprise of one service with two components: 1) The provision of a testing service for the investigation of outbreaks of infections or sporadic infections caused by pathogens of specific concern. This testing service must be provided at short notice and should include access to new tests rolled out for routine use or during an emergency or an epidemic. 2) The provider must render professional advice and support in relation to medical and scientific issues pertaining to PH Microbiology and PHE. PH Microbiology services mainly cover cover: — testing of clinical samples for a wide range of pathogens (including some not tested for by NHS microbiology laboratories), compliance with specified turn-around times (see attachment) providing results/interpretation to the sender and providing treatment advice to clinicians if required; — evaluation, validation and verification of new tests or methodologies to support PHE locally/nationally; — providing expert microbiological and virological clinical advice 80 % of the time (% ascertained following regional audit) within working hours i.e. 9.00-17.00 Monday to Friday and covering any out-of-hours commitments as HPTs and EHOs will contact the laboratory out of hours 17.00-9.00 Monday to Friday or at weekends for clarification of results and to ask for clinical advice rarely but do require the facility to do so; — processing specialist referred samples for NHS laboratories; — foster active links to PHE and other reference laboratories.