NHS England South East - Provision of Specialised Maternity Care for Patients Diagnosed with Placenta Accreta Spectrum (PAS)

This notice is placed as a Prior Information Notice (PIN) to inform the market that NHS England (NHSE) South East (the Commissioner) intends to commission specialist maternity care services for patients diagnosed with Placenta Accreta Spectrum (PAS). Please note: this has previously been referred to as Abnormally Invasive Placenta (AIP) and is referenced as AIP within the national specification, but will be referenced as PAS throughout any further published documentation.

The Commissioner would like to understand the level of provider interest in delivering these services, to help identify any existing or potential capacity and to inform the procurement strategy and contracting options.

Consideration is being given to procuring a number of separate contracts, subject to the outcome of market and stakeholder engagement. This may result in a multi-lotted procurement process.

NHS England commissions specialist maternity care services for women suspected of, and diagnosed with, PAS from PAS Centres. These services include specialist prenatal diagnosis and risk assessment and definitive treatment of PAS by a multidisciplinary team (MDT) with expertise in complex pelvic surgery.

PAS Centres provide specialised treatment as part of a regional network arrangement with local maternity services, in accordance with predefined referral guidelines and protocols. PAS Centres have: • Antenatal imaging (foetal medicine or radiology) • Adult intensive care • Level three neonatal intensive care services • Immediate access to blood products.

The aims of the service are to: • Accurately diagnose PAS and determine the clinical risk it poses • Maximise safety for the mother by providing high quality specialised multidisciplinary care for the delivery of women at high risk of PAS.

This will be achieved by delivering an evidence-based service that: • Prevents avoidable deaths in a population at very high risk of mortality • Minimises ITU admission and length of stay in ITU • Reduces blood product administration • Reduces the risk of severe maternal morbidity such as cardiac arrest, fistula formation and lower urinary tract trauma • Reduces risk of unnecessary surgical procedures including vertical abdominal incision and hysterectomy • Reduces the risk of iatrogenic injury to women from false positive diagnoses • Improves safety for the baby by minimising iatrogenic premature delivery • Ensures that the quality of the care provided is nationally monitored and subject to a process of continued improvement • Participate in national data collection to improve understanding

If you are interested in this opportunity, please register on the e-procurement system, Atamis (details at the end of this notice), by 24th May 2023. A copy of the national service specification can also be found on the Atamis portal.

This exercise is being managed by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioner(s).

Additional information: This notice is an information gathering exercise rather than a call for competition in its own right, and therefore publication or response does not commit the Authority or respondents to a future procurement, nor provide any process exemptions or preferential treatment to any parties expressing an interest. The Authority will not be liable for costs incurred by any interested party in participating in this exercise.

Interested providers will be able to view this opportunity via the live opportunities list on the 'Health Family' e-procurement system, Atamis. Click on 'View our Live Opportunities' from the home page, available on the following link: https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome.

Once you have found the opportunity (via the search function, using the title or reference number), to gain full access to the relevant information, you will need to click on 'Register interest' - this will take you to the log-in page.

If you are not already registered on the system, you will need to do so before gaining access to the opportunity.

The services are healthcare services falling within Schedule 3 to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 ("the Regulations") which are not subject to the full regime of the Regulations, but are instead governed by the "Light Touch Regime" contained within Chapter 3, Section 7 of the Regulations (Regulations 74 to 77).

Any future tendering process will be conducted in accordance with the requirements and flexibilities provided by Articles 74 to 76 of the Directive, and Regulations 74 to 76 of the Regulations. The Authority will run a transparent tender process, treating all Bidders equally. For the avoidance of doubt, the Authority will not be bound by the Regulations or any other regulations or legislation except for the specific parts or circumstances that apply to the procurement of these Services.