Community based chronic pain assessment and treatment service to NHS Frimley Integrated Care Board

Tender description

NHS Frimley ICB ("the Commissioner") sought to commission Dr K Lothe and Partners LLP to provide a Community based chronic pain assessment and treatment service. The normal route of referral into this Service is by a patient's registered GP Practice. Internal referrals may also be received from the Diagnostic Uncertainty service. Frimley Park Hospital Consultants may also directly refer as an alternative to a secondary care pathway for pain management for new referrals. The Community Pain pathway is aimed at patients with persistent disabling pain of more than 3 months or where the referring clinician agrees and accepts that the pain has become chronic. The Community Pain pathway delivers timely skilled interventions to reduce the cause of pain and/or to enable patients to manage their pain with psychological and behavioural support. This is achieved by using an experienced multidisciplinary (MDT) model which has access to a range of medical and non-medical interventions for people living with chronic pain. The MDT assessment, diagnosis and treatment process offers: Comprehensive assessment of physical functioning and to establish cause for pain; Minor direct interventions such as joint injections to peripheral joints, targeted interventions and acupuncture in line with NICE guidance; Intensive physiotherapy where indicated. Patients requiring a longer course of physiotherapy should be referred back to the patient's GP, with advice to consider onward referral to Community Physiotherapy; Behavioural and cognitive intervention to manage pain; Rehabilitation Therapy; Review of drug regime and discussion with patient on use; Agreed individually designed exercise plan and recognition of the benefits of self-management; Postural analysis and core stability; Patient education to help understand pain and pain pathways; Support and educate GPs to safely optimise analgesia and other pharmacological interventions and promote self-management (booklets, leaflets and other self-help techniques); Support and educate GPs to manage pain flare ups e.g. telephone advice. The objective of the Service is to: Promote the highest possible quality of life for pain patients; Provide accurate diagnosis, even if this is 'medically unexplained pain'; Advice and support primary care clinicians in managing the pain elements of their patients care; Provide psychological and behavioural interventions that support patients and their carers in managing their pain, enabling them to lead more normal lives with reduced disability; Provide specialist physiotherapist assessment with rehabilitation planning and review including promotion of group programmes; Help reduce recurrent inappropriate admissions and other healthcare services by promoting self-management; Increase social and physical functioning; Promote independence and wellbeing for patients through the provision of structured self-management support thus reducing the need for other medical appointments and admissions; Where appropriate provide direct interventions to reduce and manage pain. Lot 1: NHS Frimley ICB ("the Commissioner") sought to commission Dr K Lothe and Partners LLP to provide a Community based chronic pain assessment and treatment service. The normal route of referral into this Service is by a patient's registered GP Practice. Internal referrals may also be received from the Diagnostic Uncertainty service. Frimley Park Hospital Consultants may also directly refer as an alternative to a secondary care pathway for pain management for new referrals. The Community Pain pathway is aimed at patients with persistent disabling pain of more than 3 months or where the referring clinician agrees and accepts that the pain has become chronic. The Community Pain pathway delivers timely skilled interventions to reduce the cause of pain and/or to enable patients to manage their pain with psychological and behavioural support. This is achieved by using an experienced multidisciplinary (MDT) model which has access to a range of medical and non-medical interventions for people living with chronic pain. The MDT assessment, diagnosis and treatment process offers: Comprehensive assessment of physical functioning and to establish cause for pain; Minor direct interventions such as joint injections to peripheral joints, targeted interventions and acupuncture in line with NICE guidance; Intensive physiotherapy where indicated. Patients requiring a longer course of physiotherapy should be referred back to the patient's GP, with advice to consider onward referral to Community Physiotherapy; Behavioural and cognitive intervention to manage pain; Rehabilitation Therapy; Review of drug regime and discussion with patient on use; Agreed individually designed exercise plan and recognition of the benefits of self-management; Postural analysis and core stability; Patient education to help understand pain and pain pathways; Support and educate GPs to safely optimise analgesia and other pharmacological interventions and promote self-management (booklets, leaflets and other self-help techniques); Support and educate GPs to manage pain flare ups e.g. telephone advice. The objective of the Service is to: Promote the highest possible quality of life for pain patients; Provide accurate diagnosis, even if this is 'medically unexplained pain'; Advice and support primary care clinicians in managing the pain elements of their patients care; Provide psychological and behavioural interventions that support patients and their carers in managing their pain, enabling them to lead more normal lives with reduced disability; Provide specialist physiotherapist assessment with rehabilitation planning and review including promotion of group programmes; Help reduce recurrent inappropriate admissions and other healthcare services by promoting self-management; Increase social and physical functioning; Promote independence and wellbeing for patients through the provision of structured self-management support thus reducing the need for other medical appointments and admissions; Where appropriate provide direct interventions to reduce and manage pain. The Commissioner is directly awarding a contract to the existing provider Dr K Lothe and Partners LLP in accordance with the criteria outlined in Regulation (9) of the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. The total value of the contract for the 9 month contract term is £679,616.25. The 9 month contract period will commence on the 01st July 2024. This procurement has been carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioners. Additional information: Evidence that Dr K Lothe and Partners LLP have satisfied the existing 23/24 contract to a sufficient standard according to the detail outlined in the 23/24 contract: they provided all of the required documentation, information and policies for the existing contract. They have: followed the contractual service specification, not deviated from Frimley ICB Safeguarding requirements, charged the correct local prices as per the contract, issued invoices correctly in accordance with the Frimley ICB process, complied with Quality reporting requirements, and followed Schedule 6A reporting requirements. Dr K Lothe and Partners LLP have complied with/not fallen foul of the 23/24 NHS Standard Contract (Shorter Form) Service Conditions, including Service Conditions in relation to the following: service standards, co-operation, information requirements, safeguarding, payment terms and quality requirements. Dr K Lothe and Partners LLP have also complied with/not fallen foul of the 23/24 Shorter Form General Conditions, including those relating to: liability & indemnity, assignment & sub-contracting, and Information Governance. The new contracting arrangements are based on a rollover of the previous contracting arrangements/schedules which the provider has already satisfied/complied with to a high standard, and so the provider will highly likely to be able to satisfy the new contract to a sufficient standard.