Health services

Tender description

NHS South Warwickshire CCG has undertaken a procurement for the provision of a community ophthalmology service. The contract duration is 3 years (36 months) with an option to extend for a further 2 years (24 months). The CCG have commissioned a community-based ophthalmology service for patients registered with a South Warwickshire GP who present with: • defined acute eye conditions • defined chronic conditions. Patients will be directly referred to this service for triage and where possible, patients will be assessed and provided with the appropriate treatment/advice in a single visit. Referrals will be accepted from a South Warwickshire GP, optometrist, A&E Department, Eye Casualty or 111 (Triage tool to be agreed with the commissioner). The service will comprise of three main tiers, which are covered within the service specification, but can be delivered by multiple organisations with partnership or subcontracting arrangements, or by a single provider for all tiers. Providers are responsible for coordinating partnership or sub-contracting arrangements between themselves. Service delivery needs to be integrated and seamlessly delivered to patients. Reporting needs to be coordinated and presented centrally as per reporting requirements set out in the NHS standard contract section 6. The service will have a suitable level of clinical delivery, supervision and leadership, and will be consultant-led. This means a consultant will be accountable for the delivery of the service, available and contactable when necessary and will retain overall responsibility while the service is open. All new referrals will be triaged by appropriately skilled clinicians (in the view of the lead consultant) who will signpost the patient to the most appropriate service or pathway for treatment. This triage function will also be consultant led and therefore by definition, the Consultant will have oversight and be accountable for the safe and accurate delivery of all aspects of the service. The provider will work to best practice as published nationally, including, but not limited to, the development of schemes set out by NHSE Elective Care Transformation Programme and other guidance published during the contract term: 1) The development, implementation and management of a standardised cataract referral forms; 2) The triage of Glaucoma referrals onto the correct care pathway (dependent upon complexity); 3) Implementation of a patient education programme with supporting patient decision aids; 4) Liaison and support to upskill community optometrists optimising diagnostic and referral quality. These service developments will be established and implemented during the course of the contract and will be detailed with applicable timescales within the NHS Standard Contract Particulars Section 6d; Service Development Improvement Plan (SDIP). The provider is expected to continually work with the commissioner to further develop and improve the service in line with shifting demand.