NHS Hastings and Rother CCG Integrated Community MSK Procurement Notice of Request for Information in advance of formal Tender

The Commissioner is supported by NHS Commercial Solutions. The objective is to appoint a provider (the Prime Contractor) to deliver integrated MSK care in the region covered by the Commissioner. The Prime Contractor is expected to demonstrate a credible approach to engaging patients and representative groups in design and delivery of services. The service will be provided within a ‘hub and spoke' framework. In the evaluation, the Commissioner expects to secure the best possible integration of health care expertise and access to services, but also have informed choice in their patient journeys. The approach will ensure the financial sustainability of the Prime Contractor to undertake the full range of MSK activity either directly providing or through subcontracting arrangements. The financial approach will demonstrate Value for Money. The Integrated MSK Service will deliver (see draft specification for full details): • Co-ordinated and integrated care across the MSK pathway as a whole • Improved MSK health for a defined population • Reduction in waiting times • Strategies and processes to reduce incidence of non-attendance; • Equity of access to consistent levels of care • Improved knowledge and skills in primary care through training and education • Promotion of self-care • Implementation of agreed shared care plans for medication • A protocol based approach to ensure that patients see the right person in the right place first time • Identification of and reduction in unwarranted variation across the MSK pathway • Pathway efficiencies and the elimination of waste across the entire pathway • Shared Decision Making, involving and informing patients and their carers about the options available to them • Choice at the point of onward referral to secondary care or more specialist services • For patients on a surgical or invasive procedure pathway, fitness for procedures assessment, preliminary consenting, direct listing (if clinically appropriate) and early supported discharge planning • A single point of access through which the patient’s discharge and rehabilitation is coordinated; • Treatment and post-operative rehabilitation, education and advice • For the more complex patients shared care arrangements between the patient, their GP and support of specialist teams • Access to and delivery of diagnostics, to include Primary Care access to Diagnostics (MRI, pathology, X-ray, etc) to meet the requirements of One-stop Clinics as appropriate • Participation in, and support of, educational and training of medical students, junior doctors, nurses and other ancillary medical personnel • Provision of comprehensive and accurate activity data that will enable effective tracking of patients through the care pathways The contract value and dates stated are an estimate only of the value for the primary period of the contract – 5 years. The Commissioner reserves the right to extend the contract. See Attachments Description.

Additional information: There are two attachments to this Notice. The first is the current iteration Draft Service Specification. Potential bidders should note that the Specification is still under review and may well change before any final version is published as part of a tender process. However the Commissioners wish to share the current iteration with potential providers in order to allow the opportunity for comment.

The second attachment is a Request for Information ( RFI ) template which enables potential bidders to advise the Commissioners of their interest at this stage, and to provide comment on the specification and other elements of the project as it currently stands. Please follow the instructions on the RFI form and return to the email address stated in the document by 10 August 2016. The RFI is a process designed to help the Commissioner form a view of the best way to commission the service and does not constitute the formal commencement of a tender exercise. A formal tender advertisement will be issued at the appropriate time as required. What providers respond with at this point will not have a bearing on the evaluation of any future tender Bids you may wish to submit at a later time. You will not be disadvantaged if you choose not to respond to this RFI but it will be helpful to understand your views at this early stage so you are encouraged to respond as fully as you can. Providers will understand that whilst the Commissioners are keen to seek feedback from potential providers, the Commissioners cannot offer any undertaking to include any of the proposed suggestions and amendments received from providers as a result of this exercise. The Commissioners do however commit to review all responses received and if appropriate and equitable will consider amendment to the specification.

IMPORTANT :

The contract value or range stated is an estimate only of the value for the primary period of the contract – 5 years. The Commissioner reserves the right to extend the contract by up to a further 24 months.

This procurement is governed by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015) and the Procurement Patient Choice and Competition Regulations 2013 (PPCCR 2013). In respect of PCR 2015, the contract is for a service listed in Schedule 3, and has a value sufficient for the Light Touch Regime (LTR) to apply.

The publication of this information in Contracts Finder and OJEU does not formally commit the Commissioner to the publication of a formal tender, or any further action in respect of the proposed service.