Waltham Forest Community Dermatology Service

Concepts

• dermatology services
• routine dermatology patients
• waltham forest patients
• waltham forest community dermatology service
• a community dermatology service
• waltham forest
• a community setting
• a level 3 community dermatology service
• the dermatology service
• dermatological conditions

Location

Waltham Forest

Description

The dermatology service provides a 'See, treat and discharge' model for routine dermatology patients that are suitable to be treated in a community setting. The key aspects for a community dermatology service are to provide a model of care for patients outside of a hospital setting. The service will operate to these clinical guidelines: • NICE Guidance for dermatological conditions, e.g. acne, psoriasis, urticaria, skin cancers • British Association of Dermatologists clinical guidelines

Total Quantity or Scope

This contract is for the provision of a level 3 community dermatology service to Waltham Forest patients. The award of the contract is for 8 months and at an estimated cost of £490k and based on cost and volume. This is based on previous year activity.

Award Detail

Award Criteria

CPV Codes

• 85121282 - Dermatology services

Legal Justification

This contract has been awarded under the urgent circumstances provision of the Provider Selection Regime (PSR).

Other Information

** PREVIEW NOTICE, please check Find a Tender for full details. ** This contract has been awarded under the urgent circumstances provision of the Provider Selection Regime (PSR). This contract has been awarded under 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. Rationale for urgent award: The existing provider has stopped taking referrals from mid June and end the service by 31st July. The notice from the provider whilst received ahead of the above date, was unexpected and did not allow sufficient time for a full procurement process to complete which can take 6-9 months. This urgent award measure has been employed to address immediate risks to safety and quality of care due to an unexpected termination of contract. Delaying the award to conduct a full procurement process under PSR would have posed a risk to patient or public safety. A full PSR process is likely to take between 6-9 months. This would result in a gap in service provision and also would disrupt the wider NEL wide procurement the ICB has planned. The existing services closure would have resulted in the redirection of all patients to secondary care where there are already significant wait times. The community service also sees and treats patients for severe acne, and they require FU treatment from specialist doctors that are part of the existing service. A delay in contract award can leave this patient group at risk of having appropriate treatment. In total there would have been an estimated 200-250 patients that needed FU appointments - that without a service in place, would have had to be transferred to secondary care. For these reasons the urgent award route was deemed the most suitable and enabled seamless handover to a new provider who is already set up to work with the secondary care provider. The new provider has appropriate IT systems in place to work directly with Waltham Forest GPs and Secondary care. The service also has established clinic locations in WF and has agreements in place with WF GP practices for the sharing of patient records.