Provision of NHS 111 Services to Thames Valley

The following notice is a PIN notice only and is being placed to alert providers of an up-coming procurement exercise. Any values and timescales stated within this PIN notice are for guideline purposes only and should not be taken as a guarantee.

NHS Aylesbury Vale Clinical Commissioning Group (“CCG”) wishes to commission a Thames Valley enhanced 111 service model.

NHS 111 is a free-to-call 111 telephone number available 24 hours each day, 365 days a year, offering a personalised priority contact service that responds to individual healthcare needs when:

1. It is not a life-threatening situation; 2. The patient's registered General Practitioner is not an option; 3. The caller feels they cannot wait (and may be unsure of what service they require); 4. The caller requires health information or reassurance about what to do next.

NHS 111 forms an important part of the vision for locally integrated urgent and emergency care services. It delivers a vital service in helping members of the public with urgent care needs to gain access to the right advice in the right place, first time. The service will be staffed by trained advisors, supported by clinicians, using a specified clinical triage tool alongside local Directory of Services to assess caller needs and determine the most appropriate course of action, which may include dispatching an ambulance, providing clinical advice or information, providing reassurance, or referring the caller to an alternative service.

At a minimum, the service provider would be expected to demonstrate a capability to deliver the National Core Specification for NHS 111 produced by the UK Department of Health, NHS 111 Commissioning Standards published by NHS England (June 2014) and the Out of Hours National Quality Requirements (“NQRs”) where this is applied for.

The service provider will need to evidence that all staff responding to callers are capable of carrying out their duties competently and to a standard that meets the requirements of the Contract Specification.

The 10 CCGs covered by this procurement exercise are: Aylesbury Vale CCG Bracknell & Ascot CCG Chiltern CCG Newbury and District CCG North and West Reading CCG Oxfordshire CCG Slough CCG South Reading CCG Windsor Ascot & Maidenhead CCG Wokingham CCG

The intended procurement is likely to include an element of Out of Hours health services delivery, specifically for East Berkshire, which consists of the following CCGs: Bracknell & Ascot CCG Windsor, Ascot & Maidenhead CCG Slough CCG

Further details will be provided at the Supplier Briefing Event on 28.04.2015 and these will be confirmed upon commencement of the procurement process.

Please note that the services to be procured under this notice are deemed to be “Part B” Services and therefore will not be subject to the full implications of the Public Contracts Regulations 2006 (as amended) or later.

Additional information: Suppliers who are interested in tendering for this contract will have the opportunity to attend a Supplier Briefing Event to be held on 28.04.2015 prior to the commencement of formal procurement procedures. This will provide an opportunity for suppliers to gain an insight into the required services and raise specific questions. Suppliers who wish to receive information about this event should email Mark Stanbrook on [email protected] and further details will be sent accordingly.