The Provision of an Any Qualified Provider (AQP) Adult Hearing Service on behalf of Bury, Heywood Middleton and Rochdale, Manchester, Oldham, Salford, Stockport, Tameside & Glossop and Trafford NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups

Tender description

This notice is placed in order to facilitate early engagement with potential Providers, and relates only to a pre-procurement Market Engagement Event for an Adult Hearing Service on behalf of the following NHS Greater Manchester Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs): Bury, Heywood Middleton and Rochdale, Manchester, Oldham, Salford, Stockport, Tameside & Glossop and Trafford. The procurement will be an Any Qualified Provider (AQP) process. The CCGs are developing its commissioning approach for the award of a renewed AQP contract(s) for an Adult Hearing Service for the population of their CCG and intend to commence a procurement process to award a new contract(s) to provide the Service from 1st October 2020 for a period of 3 years, with the option to extend for a further 2 at the CCGs discretion. It should be noted that under the AQP model, there will be no guarantees of volume or payment in the contract(s) awarded. Whilst the contract(s) will have a £0 value budget, estimated costs associated with this service procurement, based on 5 years (including an option to extend for 2 years) is £33.3m. The aim of the service is to provide a comprehensive service for adults experiencing hearing and communication difficulties who feel they might benefit from hearing assessments and rehabilitation including the option of trying hearing aids with aftercare and support, in line with the National Commissioning Framework, other national guidance and local requirements. The vision for people with hearing problems is for them to receive high quality, efficient services delivered closer to home, or a more convenient location within accessible transport routes, with short waiting times and high responsiveness to the needs of local communities, free at the point of access. Key principles of an Integrated Hearing Service, within which the Adult Hearing Service operates, are as follows: • Improve public health and occupational health focus on hearing loss; • Reduce prevalence of avoidable permanent hearing loss; • Encourage early identification, diagnosis and management of hearing loss through improved service user and professional education; • Provide person-centred care, and respond to information and psychosocial needs, including for the effect on partners (or service user's chosen support) of living with poor hearing; • Support communication needs by providing timely signposting to lip reading classes and assistive technologies and other rehabilitation services; • Promote inclusion and participation of people who are deaf or hard of hearing; • Compliance with clinical guidance and good practice; and • Improve the service through research and development and the adoption of new evidence based technologies and practices. More detail on the proposed Service and model can be found in the draft Service Specification.