Non Emergency Patient Transport

Tender description

The NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board are issuing this invitation to tender in connection with the competitive procurement of Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services. The scope of the service will include assessment of eligibility, call handling, booking and the provision of safe non-emergency patient transport to eligible patients. The commissioners are looking to establish a contract for five (5) years with a potential extension period of up to five (5) years. Lot 1: No Contract has been awarded - The aim of this procurement is to establish non-emergency patient transport services across the NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) locality.The Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service (NEPTS) will be provided to all eligible patients within the locality. Currently over 14,000 journeys per month are undertaken. NEPTS are a key enabler underpinning access to elective care and supporting timely and efficient discharge processes for acute and community providers. As a partner within the system, the NEPTS provider will support improvements across the system, enabling patient choice and equitable access for elective care.National planning guidance breaks down the patient transport system into four core components. -triage and co-ordination-specialist services, which will require trained staff, often an adapted/specialist vehicle where the provider will be registered with the CQC.-non-specialist services, where a regular taxi or minibus is appropriate. -reimbursement for private or public transport, either as part of NEPTS or the Healthcare Travel Cost Scheme (HTCS). Consideration within these elements needs to be given to system relationships, improving integrated patient pathways including discharges, the wider transport system, including urgent services and local authority provision.The NEPTS New National Framework also includes five components to be included in the contract:-Updated eligibility criteria -Support for wider transport planning and journeys for all patients-Increased Transparency-Path to net zero in patient transport sector-Procurement and contract managementSignificant innovation is required for this service over the term of the contract which is why the ICB has opted to undertake a process akin to the Competitive Dialogue procedure. Dialogue will cover the published National Guidelines for NEPTS which highlights changes in the way NEPTS works moving forward and the local ICB considerations particularly around system integration and 5 year ICB plan when published. The Contract will be for a term of 60 months (five years), with the possibility of extending the term for a period of 60 additional months (five years) beyond the initial contracted duration by agreement between the Authority and the Bidder. The term of the contract is subject of the dialogue.The anticipated aggregate contract value is £104,527,000. across the potential 10 years, but this figure is subject to negotiation and dialogue as part of this advertised process.