Pharmacists in NHS111/Integrated Urgent Care Workforce Development Programme, Health Education England - NHS/SoEPS/16.316 Request For Information

The Pharmacy Integration Fund (PhIF) has been created through the community pharmacy review that is led by the Department of Health, as part of the package of proposals under consideration to transform the way pharmacy and community pharmacy services are commissioned from 2016/17 and beyond . For 2017/18, £40m will be used to fund a range of workforce developments for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians working in a range of settings to better integrate pharmacy into NHS primary care services. HEE is working in partnership with NHS England to drive forward the workforce elements of the Pharmacy Integration Fund. This work is part of a broader HEE agenda to drive workforce transformation across the NHS to support locally delivered integrated care models. One of these elements is the development and delivery of a workforce development programme for pharmacists who will be working in NHS 111 or similar Integrated Urgent Care (IUC) settings. From 2017/18, an NHS England national programme will recruit pharmacists to work in NHS 111/IUC to clinically assess and treat patients using their expert knowledge of medicines. They will be prescribers (or training to become one) and will work with/alongside colleagues of other disciplines in a multi-disciplinary team. They will provide leadership on person-centred medicines optimisation and quality improvement, with the role having the potential to significantly improve patient safety and the quality of care. HEE anticipates that the workforce development programme will support pharmacists (and in turn their employers) to realise these goals. There are specific areas of knowledge, or specific competencies, required more frequently from pharmacists working in this setting. But while it is important for the pharmacist be competent in key responsibilities and activities, HEE recognises that a pharmacist's confidence, preparedness and adaptability for this setting are also key to achieving the desired outcomes. HEE expects that this workforce programme will lead to the development of a highly-skilled pharmacist, confident to operate remotely from patients and from colleagues, and able to offer expert medicines advice and patient care through NHS 111/IUC. The Commissioners will value your views and asks a number of set questions. We expect you will find some questions more relevant to you and easier to respond to than others at this moment, however please try to respond to as many as you can. Your views are valuable whether or not you have come across all of the aspects covered. This is an initial two-year contract with a maximum value of £1,080,000. These figures include VAT. Please note payment will be related to Financial Years. Please access the RFI document at: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/soepscommissioning The deadline for returns is 21 August 2017 at 12 noon, via the In-tend portal.

Additional information: The deadline for submission of completed RFI submissions is Monday 21st August 2017 at 12:00pm (midday).

Project title: Pharmacists in NHS111/Integrated Urgent Care Workforce Development programme - HEE - Request for Information, please access the RFI for the document. Should Bidders have any queries, or are having problems using the portal, they should contact the In-tend dedicated Supplier Helpdesk by calling 0845 557 8079 Monday to Friday (9am to 6pm) or email [email protected].