AQP (Any Qualified Provider) GP Direct Access Adult Hearing Service - NHS Swale CCG - NHS/SoEPS/16.276

NHS South of England Procurement Services, acting on behalf of NHS Swale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) (the Commissioner) is commencing an AQP Offer for the provision of a GP Direct Access Adult Hearing Service for NHS Swale CCG patients.

The aim is to provide a comprehensive service for adults experiencing hearing and communication difficulties who feel they might benefit from hearing assessment and rehabilitation including the option of trying hearing aids with aftercare and support, in line with the National Commissioning Framework, other national guidance and local requirements.

All providers of Adult Hearing Services must ensure that there are local arrangements for referral into more specialist medical services in line with British Academy of Audiology (BAA) Guidelines for Direct Referral of Adults with Hearing Difficulty to Audiology Services (2016 - currently in draft) and British Society of Hearing Aid Audiologists (BSHAA) Protocol and Criteria for Referral for Medical or other Specialist Opinion (2011).

The purpose of the Adult Hearing Service is to ensure:

• Equitable access to high and consistent quality care for all people using the service; • A safe hearing service that conforms to the accreditation standards set out in the Improving Quality In Physiological Diagnostic Services (IQIPS) Accreditation Scheme; • The service should also recognise published clinical guidelines and good practice

The CCG will have regular performance meetings (quarterly) with accredited AQP providers to review performance of the service. Please note that as this is an AQP there are no guaranteed or indicative volumes of activity within the contract.

Please access the procurement documents for further information.

Additional information: Bidders are invited to access the procurement documentation at https://in-tendhost.co.uk/soepscommissioning. The deadline for submission of completed ITT submissions is Thursday 6th April 2017 at 12:00pm (midday). Late submissions will not be accepted. The e-portal system will shutdown at 12:00pm and any unsubmitted bids not registered to the system at this time will not be accepted. Therefore, please submit in good time prior to the deadline date and time. Project title: AQP (Any Qualified Provider) GP Direct Access Adult Hearing Service - NHS Swale CCG, please access the ITT for all documents. 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]. All communications should be made via the messaging function on the In-tend E-Tendering portal. During the tender exercise the Contracting Authority requests that all communications are channelled through the appointed procurement specialist on behalf of NHS South of England Procurement Services and not with the Contracting Authority itself. No Bidder, Bidder Member, or any of such Bidder's advisors, consultants or subcontractors may have ex parte communications with the Contracting Authority or any of their employees, advisors, contractors or consultants regarding the ITT, the Procurement, other than as expressly permitted in this ITT.