Staffordshire Community Ophthalmology Services

NHS Cannock Chase, North Staffordshire, South East Staffordshire & Seisdon Peninsular, Stoke on Trent, and Stafford & Surrounds Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG), are intending to undertake in the future a formal procurement for Community Ophthalmology services across the aforementioned CCG catchment areas. This is to include a Consultant led integrated service model of local optometrists; where all patients are triaged and, where appropriate, shall be assessed and treated within the same appointment removing the need to attend secondary care.

For any patient that requires further intervention through to secondary care, the service will need to work closely with local partner organisations to ensure that a swift, coordinated pathway is followed and that all service users are transferred to the appropriate specialty. This in turn will ensure reduction of delays in overall pathways of care and ensure service user experience is at the heart of all care. The Community Ophthalmology service will be a one stop shop providing a consultant- led Tier 3 triage and treat service for the Staffordshire CCGs. In addition, the Tier 3 service will manage and co-ordinate the Tier 2 Optometrist service. The Tier 2 services will be delivered to all 5 aforementioned CCGs with the potential for this to expand to East Staffordshire CCG in the future although East Staffordshire is not currently included in these commissioning plans.

The proposed community Tier 2 service will look to provide: - Glaucoma Referral Refinement (GRR) - Minor Eye Care Services (MECS) - Pre/Post-Operative Cataract - Paediatric Shared Care - Ocular Hypertension (OHT) and Suspect Glaucoma

Commissioners are seeking innovative proposals to support assessment and treatment within the community along with providing patient education on self-managing their conditions.

The Community Ophthalmology Framework identifies that the focus for Community Ophthalmology must be on 'maintaining quality, ensuring safe care, reducing service variation and improving equity of access.'

The final full-service specification will be published as part of a future procurement early in 2019. As part of the tender process there will be a bidders engagement event on or around Thursday 21st March 2019 (To be confirmed), the details of this event will be circulated to interested parties once confirmed. Interested parties to the proposed tender are asked to express their interest initially via e-mail to [email protected] and [email protected] by Wednesday 13th February 2019 stating your company name and contact details for details to be sent.

Additional information: The final full-service specification will be published as part of a future procurement early in 2019. As part of the tender process there will be a bidders engagement event on or around Thursday 21st March 2019 (To be confirmed), the details of this event will be circulated to interested parties once confirmed. Interested parties to the proposed tender are asked to express their interest initially via e-mail to [email protected] and [email protected] by Wednesday 13th February 2019 stating your company name and contact details for details to be sent. Organisations will be responsible for their own costs in relation to attending this event. Currently it is not the intention of East Staffordshire CCG to participate in this procurement. At this stage East Staffordshire CCG cannot commit to participating in this procurement or that its relevant services will fall within the scope of the contract. However, East Staffordshire CCG has the option that, at a later date, subject to agreement with the other CCGs', it may participate and for its services to fall within the contract scope. This option may be exercised either during the procurement process or during the contract term. East Staffordshire CCG and the other participating CCG's also have yet to agree the contractual approach should the option for East Staffordshire CCG to participate be exercised. This may be by East Staffordshire CCG being a party to the contract with the successful provider; or through the participating CCGs' contracting with the successful provider on behalf of East Staffordshire CCG or through an alternative contract mechanism to be agreed between the participating CCGs' and East Staffordshire CCG

Should a procurement be undertaken, this will be done via the Midlands and Lancashire CSU e-procurement portal hosted by Bravo Solutions. 'Light Touch Regime' services: The future procurement will be for clinical services which are Light Touch Regime services for the purpose of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 as specified in Schedule 3 of the Regulations('Regulations'). Accordingly, the contracting authorities are only bound by those parts of the Regulations detailed in Chapter 3 Particular Procurement Regimes Section 7. The contracting authorities are not voluntarily following any other part of the Regulations. The procedure which the contracting authorities are following is set out in the MOI. As the CCG is a relevant body for the purpose of the National Health Service (Procurement, Patient Choice and Competition) (No 2) Regulations 2013 these Regulations also apply to this procurement.