Market Engagement -Virtual Ward Remote Monitoring Wearable Devices for NHS Devon (ICSD)

The Devon Integrated Care System (ICSD) are undertaking market engagement to further develop their virtual ward model and explore options for using remote monitoring, wearable technology at scale to support and enable the care of patients outside the traditional hospital ward.

ICSD currently operates a virtual ward service but is looking to scale this across the entire ICS geography and expand into multiple pathways. This will include Frailty and Respiratory as part of the national NHSE programme mandate, but also additional pathways based on local demand need across the diverse Local Care Partnership areas of Devon. We hope to deliver the first tranche of these additional virtual ward 'beds' in December of 2022.

There are a multitude of care pathways, across a wide variety of conditions, which could in future be delivered as part of this new way of caring for patients. We want to ensure that the steps we take now lay the foundations for future expansion of both capacity and capability.

We are looking at wearable remote monitoring technology to collect and assimilate a wide range of data metrics from patients on these wards (e.g. heart rate, Oxygen, temperature etc.). These technologies need to be highly configurable to map to the specific needs of a virtual ward, whilst remaining easy to use for patients with a strong UX design ethos.

The data collected from these technologies must integrate seamlessly with the EpRs in place in our Acute Hospital Trusts our Community Providers as well as GP practice IT systems, depending on how we choose to configure the virtual ward.

The technologies need to be constantly evolving and developing in line with advances in the global tele health market. This exercise is focused on wearable technology, and not on platforms to host virtual ward services.

To support this market engagement, a questionnaire has been posted at ; -

https://forms.office.com/r/0MBu92ZTJu

This questionnaire seeks to gain an understanding of products available that may fit our local requirements and help to inform a specification for the procurement of wearable technology for our developing virtual ward services.

Information gathered will support the next steps in strategic development for this programme, including the identification of suitable routes to procurement.

Suppliers who wish to participate in this engagement exercise are requested to complete the questionnaire by 5pm (BST) on the 17 of October 2022

If you require any further assistance, please contact [email protected]

This process is being carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioners.

Additional information: For the avoidance of doubt, 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 Commissioner or respondents to a future procurement, nor provide any process exemptions or preferential treatment to any parties expressing an interest.

Commissioners are looking to establish what interest there might be in providing such a service from suitably qualified, capable and competent organisations.

The Commissioner will not be liable for costs incurred by any interested party in participating in this exercise. Interested parties should note that a response to this notice does not guarantee an automatic invitation to any subsequent formal procurement, which the commissioners will consider in due course.