Integrated Community Equipment Loan Service for Essex (ICELS 2023)

Concepts

• icels
• essex
• health and social work
• chelmsford
• integrated community equipment loan service
• essex county council
• community equipment services
• service users
• assessor assessment service
• national health service act

Location

Essex:

Description

Essex County Council is seeking to procure a contract for the provision of an integrated community equipment loan service (ICELS) commencing July 2023 for an initial 5-year period (with a further extension option of up to 2 years) for the benefit of the Consortium. The Council is the lead organisation for the Consortium and will be conducting the procurement process in accordance with the requirements set out in the tender documents. The Consortium is currently made up of the Council and the Partners identified in section VI.3 of this notice. The Consortium works together under partnership arrangements under the National Health Service Act 2006 and the Local Government Act 1972 (as applicable to the relevant Partner) to provide community equipment services to Essex residents who are eligible under the Health and Social Care Act 2006 and the Care Act 2014 (as applicable to the relevant Partner) across the administrative areas of the Consortium in Essex. To be noted that delivery of the Services extends to a wider geographic area to facilitate where service users may be located – see the Service Specification for the relevant geographic areas. Enabling people to remain independent, and to live as full a life as they can in their own home, is fundamental to the Consortium’s approach to supporting people. One of the principal ways that the Consortium does this is with the provision of equipment to people of all ages and needs across the administrative areas of the Consortium in Essex. The ICELS for Essex provides equipment on loan to people living in the community, based on clinical or assessed need, to enable them to do tasks they would otherwise be unable to do and/or to provide support to a Carer or care worker (including family members), to enable care and support to happen where required. The ICELS aims to: • enable and support people to live, age and die well. • provide the right solution, at the right time, in the right place, the first time.

Total Quantity or Scope

Essex County Council on behalf of the Consortium invites tenders for provision of an integrated community equipment loan service for people of all ages and needs across Essex, providing such items as commodes, beds, shower chairs and hoists, as well as adaptations such as grab rails and chair raisers in line with the requirements set out in the draft Contract and Service Specification issued as part of this tender process. This service will be for an initial 5 year term, with an option to extend for up to a further 2 years, with services commencing in July 2023. The community equipment service complements other Health and Social Care services, such as reablement and domiciliary care and support. The aim of all these services is to promote independence and enable people to gain, regain and maintain skills, as well as helping to prevent hospital admissions. This accords strongly with the Council’s ‘Everyone’s Essex’ ambition of promoting health, care, and wellbeing for all ages, as well as the Council’s aims around levelling up. It does this by promoting independence and healthy lifestyles, levelling up health, supporting carers, improving outcomes for vulnerable adults and children, encouraging green growth (minimising waste and increasing recycling of equipment) and strengthening family resilience and stability. The non-exhaustive list of activities to deliver a core service are as set out below, and defined within the tender documentation: • Sourcing, purchasing and storage of equipment including management of stock; • Delivery, installation and fitting of equipment; • Approved Assessor assessment service for low-level items; • Collection of equipment from service users when no longer required; • Counter service for the collection and return of equipment, demonstration of equipment or clinical assessment; • Adaptations; • Maintenance and repair/refurbishment of equipment, including scheduled testing and servicing (e.g., LOLER, PAT, etc.); • Cleaning and decontamination of returned equipment; • Ceiling track hoist assessments, installations, repairs, replacement, maintenance and removal; • Moving or relocating equipment within or between someone’s home(s) e.g. upstairs to downstairs or to a new property; • Reporting and management of any situations of concern or safeguarding; • Maintenance of accurate information and asset management records on stock, procurement, warranties, maintenance, cleaning etc providing suitable transparency to for the Consortium; • Facilitation of new product evaluation, demonstrations and clinical trials for the Consortium; • Assessment and reduction of non-recyclable and single use items over the life of the contract; • Engaging with stakeholders supporting the health and social care system in Essex. Notwithstanding the indicative contract value, the services the subject matter of this contract are demand-based services with no guarantee of equipment or activity volumes or inflation uplifts at any point during the term. Additional information: See section VI.3

Renewal Options

Option to extend for up to a further two years

CPV Codes

• 85000000 - Health and social work services

Indicators

• This is a one-off contract (no recurrence)
• Options are available.
• Renewals are available.
• Financial restrictions apply.
• Professional qualifications are sought.
• Technical restrictions apply.

Other Information

** PREVIEW NOTICE, please check Find a Tender for full details. ** Current members of the Consortium: • Essex County Council, as lead organisation • East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust • Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust • Mid & South Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) • Thurrock Council The future of the Integrated Community Equipment Loan Service may provide an opportunity for the addition of the West Essex elements of the Hertfordshire and West Essex ICS as a member of the Consortium. At the commencement date, certain equipment will be outside of the scope of the Essex ICELS: • Care Technology Equipment, for remote monitoring, alarms or similar; • Pressure Area Care (PAC) - Air pressured mattresses/cushions to reduce skin pressure; • Active/Dynamic Pressure Relief Equipment prescribed by Health Partners; • Wheelchair Services, for those with mobility challenges; • Stairlifts and Steplifts, other than for legacy maintenance. The Council reserves the right not to call for negotiation. The Council reserves the right to cancel the procurement and/or not to award the opportunity described in this contract notice. The award criteria referenced in II.2.5 includes the applicable weightings: • 30% - Price/Commercial • 50% - Technical/Quality • 10% - Social Value • 10% - Climate and Environmental Action and using the published evaluation sub-criteria in the tender documents. The withdrawal at any time during the procurement process of: (i) any member of the Consortium (ii) any of the services included within the Service Specification at the date of publication of the contract notice shall not result in an automatic cancellation of the procurement process. The Council will confirm any consequential changes to the terms of the tender documents to account for the withdrawal of any such member.