Therapeutic Apheresis Services (TAS) - Digitally Managed Service (DMS) - RFI

Tender description

This is a Request for Information (RFI) only and will be used to gather market information and engage with suppliers who may be able to support NHSBT to digitise this service. Apheresis is a process in which a particular substance or part of someone's blood is removed from the blood and the rest returned to their body. NHSBT’s Therapeutic Apheresis Services (TAS) was developed from a medical and nursing interest in collection and therapeutic apheresis and became an independent function in 2008/9. The aim was to become the pre-ferred provider of high quality, cost-effective therapeutic apheresis services and reduce in-equities of access to treatment across the UK. The service is part of NHSBT’s Cell, Apheresis and Gene Therapies Function treating adults and children, providing TAS across England to around 1600 adult and paediatric patients each year. The service is based within 8 units across the UK, but also cover >45 acute trusts as an outreach service, including access to a 24/7 emergency apheresis service. This is a remote service provided by NHSBT staff located at non NHSBT sites and partner hospitals using an on-site and an outreach model, with nurses travelling to multiple sites each day. The service comprises of 130 colleagues made up of 90 clinical staff and 40 management support staff. The service currently operates using paper and wants to digitise the service to receive electronic referrals from partner hospitals and manage treatment planning and record care given electronically. At this stage NHSBT is looking for suppliers who may be interested in a potential future competition, demonstrating their potential solution or informing our business case and specification. Potential suppliers are encouraged to register their interest on the Atamis platform and respond to the RFI by completing the Response Section. If this opportunity is not suitable for your organisation, there is no need to respond. Suppliers who respond positively will be added to a mailing list and may be invited to a virtual information-gathering session with key stakeholders which will include a demo of the proposed solution. At any point suppliers are welcome to remove themselves from further communication should they wish. Responses to this RFI are required by 23rd of February 2024.