Community Dermatology Service (Lewisham) - Market Engagement

Tender description

The Community Dermatology Service will play a key role in supporting Lewisham borough in delivering its strategy to optimise the value of referrals and improve patient experience and outcomes. The Service will manage a broad range of dermatological conditions and support the development of sustainable care pathways, which are cost-effective, responsive to local need, clearly articulated between clinical partners and underpinned by a combination of effective referral optimisation and robust educational support. The Community Service will also play a pivotal role in strengthening the dermatology offering across Lewisham, by providing a link between primary and secondary care, building capacity and expertise within the community and diverting less complex activity away from the acute trusts, thereby improving access to secondary care for those patients requiring consultant- led treatment. Lot 1: Lewisham borough serves a resident population of approximately 303,500 (Lewisham JSNA, ONS 2018) and is expected to grow to 344,500 by 2031. Lewisham has a younger population bias and remains amongst the most deprived local authority areas in England. The borough's growing population means extra demand for services. Dermatology services at local trusts continue to be under great pressure and it is not uncommon for patients to wait a long time for specialist assessment and treatment for conditions such as acne, psoriasis or eczema which can cause distress and discomfort for patients. Such a position is likely to have been exacerbated by the pandemic, with backlogs continuing to grow, and possible latent demand in the community yet to convert to referrals. Historically there was no borough-wide community dermatology service in place in Lewisham, with referrals being made directly into secondary care. However, as part of service developments made during Covid, in 2020 North Lewisham PCN established a pilot community dermatology model which attracted widespread support from patients and local clinicians and demonstrated that a community service within Lewisham is both desirable and effective. Following discussions with a range of stakeholders, including the SE London Planned Care Board, SE London Dermatology Network, GPs, commissioners, GPs with extended roles (GPwER), and consultant dermatologists, in November 2021 it was agreed that this service model should be extended as a pilot across the whole borough. After a successful period it has now been established that a permanent service needs to be procured for Lewisham borough. Interested organisation must express an interest via Atamis e-tendering portal. Bidders needs to register by completing and submitting the Early Engagement Registration Form and the completed Market Engagement Questionnaire on Atamis by no later than 17:00hrs 25 July 2024. This can be done by clicking the below link. https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome (Contract Reference: C295739). Once registered, you can express an interest in this project and submit the Early Engagement Registration Form and the completed Market Engagement Questionnaire by clicking the following link to this specific project - Contract Reference: C295739. https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome Please send the completed Early Market Engagement Registration Form and the completed Market Engagement Questionnaire via the messaging facility on Atamis for this project. Please note that any expressions of interests by any other means will not be considered. Additional information: Interested organisation must express an interest via Atamis e-tendering portal. Bidders needs to register by completing and submitting the Early Engagement Registration Form and the completed Market Engagement Questionnaire on Atamis by no later than 17:00hrs 25 July 2024. This can be done by clicking the below link. https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome (Contract Reference: C295739). Once registered, you can express an interest in this project and submit the Early Engagement Registration Form and the completed Market Engagement Questionnaire by clicking the following link to this specific project - Contract Reference: C295739. https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome Please send the completed Early Market Engagement Registration Form and the completed Market Engagement Questionnaire via the messaging facility on Atamis for this project. Please note that any expressions of interests by any other means will not be considered.