Enhanced Community Pharmacy Service for the Supply of on Demand Palliative Care and Other Specialist Medication

Concepts

• pharmacy services
• leicester
• community palliative care services
• palliative care drugs
• secondary care providers
• palliative care
• primary care
• care
• rutland integrated care board
• other specialist medication

Location

Leicester

Description

This is an Intention to Award notice via a Competitive process placed by NHS Midlands & Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit (ML CSU) on behalf of the Commissioner, NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board (LLR ICB). The ICB was seeking to commission a provider to deliver end-of-life medicines and urgent community (palliative care drugs) in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

Total Quantity or Scope

NHS Midlands & Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit (ML CSU) are placing this Intention to Award notice on behalf of the Commissioner, NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board (LLR ICB). The Commissioner wishes to award a contract to a provider to deliver end-of-life medicines and urgent community treatment (palliative care drugs) in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. This is a new service model that is to be commissioned following a Competitive Process conducted in line with the Provider Selection Regime for Healthcare Services 2023 which is proportionate to the value and complexity of the service and contract. The Provider Selection Regime applies under common procurement vocabulary (CPV) 85149000-5, as this service is not covered under the community pharmacy services that are arranged under the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2013 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/349/contents) Aims and objectives of the service: • The aim of this enhanced service is to provide service users and clinicians with prompt access to a range of palliative care and specialist medications on an urgent basis. • Improving access to End of Life (EoL) medication is also expected to reduce pressure on secondary care providers and facilitate admission avoidance. If medication needs can be met in a timely manner, more patients will be able to stay at home. • As a further system and workforce benefit, improving the processes for supply and delivery of anticipatory medications will improve productivity and morale in community nursing, community palliative care services and primary care by providing a clear and standardised pathway to obtaining these medications. • The provider must stock a range of palliative care and other specialist medication on an urgent basis. • Upon receipt of an electronic (EPS) prescription marked (in EPS script notes) for "urgent delivery", to facilitate delivery of these items to a home or care home address within LLR so that it arrives within 3 hours of receiving the EPS prescription. The ICB wishes to award one contract for a Pilot for these services. The contract is anticipated to start on the 1st of October 2024 for 18 months with a contract value of £150,000 for the lifecycle of the contract. The contractual payment terms will be based on a mixed payments contract, a mix of block and cost and volume. There will be a retainer fee and activity-based payments linked to deliveries.

Award Detail

Award Criteria

CPV Codes

• 85149000 - Pharmacy services

Indicators

Other Information

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 the relevant authority by 09/09/2024. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award a contract under the competitive process of the PSR. - Details of representations process: written representations should be sent to llricb-llr.contracting@nhs.net. - Details of the award decision-makers: NHS LLR ICB Strategic and Commissioning Group (SCG) 20th of August 2024. - Details of declared conflicts or potential conflicts of interest of individuals making the decision were managed, if any: No conflicts were declared at the ICB's SCG at the approval of the potential award on the 20th August 2024. - Relative importance and rationale of the key criteria that the relevant authority used to make a decision and choosing the provider: The authority set out clear key criteria to meet the requirements of this service based on evidence and learning that would meet the needs of end of life and palliative care patients, support their families/carers and aid clinical staff to implement interventions supporting the treatment of these patients. Key criteria was set by the authority to ensure improvements and outcomes could be optimised for those needing the support of this service. Based on the key criteria set, the authority has the intent to award a contract for the service as defined in the specification and detailed in the key criteria as described in the advert dated 20 June 2024. The authority has confidence that, through robust evaluation, the successful bidder meets the pilot's key criteria and will ensure the delivery of anticipatory medications within three hours of being prescribed to patients in urgent need and that these deliveries will be made in line with information governance requirements. The successful bidder was able to demonstrate how the key criteria would be adhered to and how the requirements of the specification would be met during the contract length. The authority therefore is satisfied that all key criteria has been met and that the pilot will: • Ensure that medications are delivered to the residence of the patient within three hours of being prescribed when deemed urgent between the hours of 7am and 11pm on weekdays. • Increase confidence of clinicians in assurance of availability and access to medication (improved quality of service and related cost efficiency) • Enhance the existing provision for service users and their families / carers in accessing medication • Ensure that patients are treated with dignity and respect • Prevent unnecessary and inappropriate emergency admissions which has an emphasis on providing better value for money • Improve health and wellbeing and care outcomes for patients • Support patients choices and wishes and the option to die in their usual place of residence.