Community Spirometry Service

Concepts

• health services
• colchester
• additional services
• spirometry testing
• the health care services
• the community spirometry service
• community
• spirometry
• such contract modifications
• north east essex integrated care board

Location

North East Essex Locality

Description

Community Spirometry Service, to support the diagnosis of COPD and Asthma.

Total Quantity or Scope

The community spirometry service provides a referral pathway to allow practices/PCNs to refer patients to the community-based spirometry service for diagnostic purposes if practices are unable to deliver spirometry testing. The service will triage all referrals from primary care ensuring the appropriate pre referral tests have been undertaken. The service will offer the provision of a timely diagnostic quality assured spirometric assessment of patients with respiratory symptoms in line with current national recommendations. Once the spirometry test is completed the service will interpret the findings from the test and share a report back to the referring clinician to enable future management of the condition. Staff undertaking the test and interpreting the results will have appropriate ARTP training. The provider will ensure the approach is personalised and will ensure they follow the MECC agenda, therefore offering smoking cessation to patients who remain smoking. The contract will be awarded for two years, with a total contract value of £322,700. NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board are awarding the contract named within this notice under the Direct Award C process which is outlined within the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. The provider named in this notice is an existing provider and has been reviewed through a Key Criteria assessment to ensure the awarding body is satisfied with current performance and reasonably expects the provider to be able to satisfy the contract which is the subject of this notice. The contract which is the subject of this notice has not changed considerably when compared with the existing / previous contract delivered by the named provider. The ICB may wish to introduce additional services during the lifetime of the contract ("Contract modifications"). Such contract modifications will be contemplated where additional requirements are similar and or complementary to the services already included in the Specification, at any given time. Such expansion would be by the addition of services commissioned by the Authority as named in the Contract Notice. To this end, after the award of contract, there is a possibility that the contract may be varied as allowable in accordance with the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023.

Award Detail

Award Criteria

CPV Codes

• 85100000 - Health services

Indicators

• Award on basis of price.

Legal Justification

This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intention to award notice. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this award. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period. Representations by providers must be made to decision makers by midnight 1st May 2024 (8 working days following publication of intention to award notice). They should be submitted in writing to procurement@snee.nhs.uk. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR. Award decision-makers: SNEE ICB Executive Committee on the 26th February 2024. No conflicts of interest, or potential conflicts of interest, were declared by any decision makes. Quality and Innovation - Assured - SNEE ICB are assured that the provider is delivering a safe and effective service as required by the specification and contract they are currently delivering. This criterion was reviewed in line with the Quality Impact Assessment. · SNEE ICB are assured that the current provider has the infrastructure in place to continue to deliver the spirometry service, this includes ARTP trained staff to undertake and interpret the spirometry tests. GPPC have worked closely with the SNEE ICB IPC team to ensure their spirometry pathway is compliant with all safety standards including room ventilation. This criterion was reviewed in line with the Quality Impact Assessment. Value - Assured - SNEE ICB are assured that the provider is delivering value to the integrated care system and the cost of change would not be outweighed by the potential benefit of a new provider. · Prior to reprocuring community spirometry SNEE ICB undertook a service review, which included reviewing the pricing structure of the service, GPPC have costed their service delivery in line with the new pricing structure. Integration, Collaboration and Service Sustainability - Assured - SNEE ICB are assured that the provider is positively impacting on the integrated care system through their integration and collaboration delivered as a requirement of the specification or alternative elements linked to the delivery. · GPPC has evidence their sustainability by working building relationships with practices across NEE to support them to train their staff to undertake spirometry. The result is they can now offer the three levels of support to primary care. Their relationship with primary care will enable GPPC to ensure they are seeing those patients who need to be seen close to home and in a timely way. Improving Access, Reducing Health Inequalities and Facilitating Choice - Assured - SNEE ICB are assured that the provider is meeting needs of the population to ensure equitable access and choice as required by the specification and contract. This criterion was reviewed in line with the Equality Impact Assessment. · GPPC have evidenced they can offer spirometry via their three level service offer across the geography of NEE. GPPC are aligned the stay well domain in NEE and are ambitious in their approach to support reducing health inequalities, including now running a service from a homeless charity. Social Value - Assured - SNEE ICB are assured that the provider is delivering in line with the SNEE Green Plan, supporting with the implementation of carbon reduction and increase in initiatives which positively impact on the wider determinants of health. This criterion was reviewed in line with the Sustainability Impact Assessment. · GPPC have set up spirometry hubs across NEE, resulting in reduce need for travel for patients accessing the service. They refer to smoking cessation where appropriate. · GPPC have evidence they support their local economy by recruiting staff who live locally.