Provision of Paediatric Orthotic Services - Southampton

Call for Expressions of Interest

Approximate annual value £16.4K

Service - The provision of an effective Orthotic service - this will involve the clinical assessment for prescription and the supply and maintenance of orthoses as well as some Orthotic manufacturing and repair/maintenance ability (on site).

1.2 This service is managed by Solent NHS Trust and has operated for a number of years managed by the Solent Childrens Therapy locality managers. It exists to provide the NHS with specialist orthotics assessment and manufacturing skills. Solent will undertake a quality review once a year. 1.3 The client group encompasses the following groups of children agreed 0 - 16 years (0 - 19 years if attending special school), residing in the boundaries of Southampton City (NHS) and the Solent West provided areas of South West Hampshire and North East Hampshire Excluding Farnham: - Children with orthopaedic conditions which affect their mobility - Children with neurological conditions which affect their mobility - Children with postural management needs - Children with developmental delay

Additional information: 1. AIMS OF THE SERVICE

1.1 The requirement is for the provision of an effective Orthotic service - this will involve the clinical assessment for prescription and the supply and maintenance of orthoses as well as some Orthotic manufacturing and repair/maintenance ability (on site).

1.2 This service is managed by Solent NHS Trust and has operated for a number of years managed by the Solent Childrens Therapy locality managers. It exists to provide the NHS with specialist orthotics assessment and manufacturing skills. Solent will undertake a quality review once a year. 1.3 The client group encompasses the following groups of children agreed 0 - 16 years (0 - 19 years if attending special school), residing in the boundaries of Southampton City (NHS) and the Solent West provided areas of South West Hampshire and North East Hampshire Excluding Farnham: - Children with orthopaedic conditions which affect their mobility - Children with neurological conditions which affect their mobility - Children with postural management needs - Children with developmental delay

1.4 The key aims of the overall therapy service are: - Enable children to develop their maximum potential and life chances - Ensure the use of current evidence based practice to ensure a high standard of care - Improve communications with users, carers and primary health care providers about orthotics

1.5 The Key aims for the Orthotics Service are: - To provide equipment to minimise the effect of disability, facilitate mobility, independence and ease of care. This will be achieved through the assessment of need and the provision of an orthosis which will either remedy or relieve a medical condition or disability and may prevent the development of more disabling conditions. - In addition, the service will offer a continuing programme of maintenance, repair and re-assessment of need once the orthosis has been supplied. - The Orthotist will be expected to recommend products to be ordered and using national framework pricing - the Orthotist will be required to continually review the national frameworks to identify the lowest cost but clinically acceptable products.