Prior information notice
This notice is for prior information only
Section I: Contracting
authority
I.1) Name and addresses
Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board
Charter House, Parkway
Welwyn Garden City
AL8 6JL
UK
E-mail: rod.skinner@attain.co.uk
NUTS: UKH23
Internet address(es)
Main address: https://hertsandwestessex.icb.nhs.uk
Address of the buyer profile: https://attain.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.html
I.3) Communication
Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address
Electronic communication requires the use of tools and devices that are not generally available. Unrestricted and full direct access to these tools and devices is possible, free of charge, at:
https://attain.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.html
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
I.5) Main activity
Health
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
Prior Information Notice (PIN) - Integrated Urgent Assessment and Treatment Centre for Hertfordshire and West Essex NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB)
Reference number: ACE-0690-2023-HWE
II.1.2) Main CPV code
85000000
II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
II.1.4) Short description
Prior Information Notice (PIN)
The purpose of this PIN is to inform the market that the Authority has made the decision that working with a collaboration of existing local providers, will be the best solution to provide an affordable, sustainable, and fully Integrated service model in Hertfordshire and West Essex. The Authority and its incumbents will work collaboratively to ensure delivery of the Integrated Urgent Assessment and Treatment Centre Service objectives, standards, and outcomes.
Possible provider stakeholders could be, but are not limited to:
• Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust
• Primary medical care – GP practices and Primary Care Networks, GP Provider Companies/Federations
• Herts Urgent Care (HUC)
• Essex Partnership University Foundation Trust (EPUT)
• Hertfordshire Community Trust (HCT)
• East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST)
• Essex County Council, Hertfordshire County Council, District Councils
• Voluntary sector
This arrangement will be contracted via either an Alliance Contract or a Lead Provider arrangement, and by working collectively the providers will achieve better patient outcomes for Hertfordshire and West Essex and will help to facilitate a more integrated, resilient healthcare system. The contracting model will be agreed as part of the due diligence process.
The Contract to be entered into by the Authority and the partnership of providers will be the NHS Standard Contract 2023/24, and subsequent revisions thereof. In addition to the NHS Standard Service Contract the providers will be required to agree and sign a Collaborative Agreement with each other and the Authority. The Contract is intended to run for 5 + 2 years commencing on the 01.11.2023.
In accordance with Regulation 72 (1) (a) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, the services covered by the arrangement may change and expand as the partnerships develop through a Collaborative Contract.
To participate in discussions regarding fulfilling the role of Integrated Urgent Assessment and Treatment Centre Service provider, a provider must:
(i) be willing to work with a group of providers as outlined above (PAH and primary care as a minimum)
(ii) (ii) have previous experience of multi-disciplinary integrated care service delivery,
(iii) (iii) a willingness to sign up to appropriate system wide outcomes,
(iv) (iv) have a good understanding of the local system and operating environment, and
(v) have the necessary financial capabilities to hold and manage the scale of risk of overspend for the contract and be willing to participate as a part of the wider Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) through taking a degree of income risk share and signing up to an Alliance Agreement with all other key provider stakeholders in the system.
The Authority is inviting interested providers who are willing to make the commitment to collaboration in an alliance way of working, and who believe they have the necessary capabilities and experience set out above to respond to the Request for Information (RFI).
This process is being conducted via the Bravo E-Procurement Portal at
https://attain.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.html
Click on ‘Register’ and follow the on-screen instructions.
This PIN is not commencing a competitive process but does not exclude new entrants to the collaborative either via partnering or subcontracting arrangements or the possibility of future procurement.
The Authority will conduct a process that complies with the principles of transparency and equal treatment however the Authority is not required (and does not intend) to run the process in accordance with one of the specified procedures in the Regulations (e.g., Restricted, Open etc.). The Authority is, therefore, utilising the flexibilities available to them under the "light touch regime" in conducting this process.
The Authority is not liable for any costs incurred by those responding to the PIN or relating RFI.
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.2) Description
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
85000000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKH23
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
Contract Name – Integrated Urgent Assessment and Treatment Centre for Hertfordshire and West Essex NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB)
Contract Duration – 1st November 2023 – 31st October 2028 (5yrs) with option to extend for a further 2 years.
Contract value – in the region of £8.5m for the 5-year contract excluding potential extension periods. Total value including the extension periods is in the region of £11.9m. However, by working together we would expect financial opportunities to be created as multiple services and associated budgets can be used innovatively to make best use of the system resources
NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board (HWE ICB - the Authority) has an ambitious strategy regarding the delivery of an all age Integrated Urgent Assessment and Treatment Centre for the population of Hertfordshire and West Essex in partnership with Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAH). We are seeking to commission a collaborative approach for the delivery of the Integrated Urgent Assessment and Treatment Centre, that supports the vision and aims of the national and local access delivery plans for urgent and emergency care and primary care.
This approach aligns with the 2022 Health & Social Care Act which set out the requirement for systems to create ‘Provider Collaboratives’. The aim of these Provider Collaboratives is to bring together public providers of NHS services (incl primary care and acute trusts) to work together at scale for the benefit of populations.
Delivering the service through a Provider Collaborative will enable the ICB to better manage rising demand, increase the quality of service delivered to patients, and improve efficiencies creating better sustainability.
The Authority has set a bold and challenging goal to work with local system partners (PAH and primary medical care as a minimum), to deliver an integrated model for triage, assessment and treatment of minor illness and minor injury that will enable partners to:
• work together within the local system, to provide joined up and coordinated care for people who need same day access to urgent care, that is the right care, which is easily and rapidly accessible
• use collective resources flexibly including estate, finance, and workforce to develop effective and efficient same day access pathways that are appropriate, safe, and closer to home
• make better use of digital technology to enable selfcare, efficient access and triage, smooth data interoperability and sharing between partners
• Give a focus on population health offering a differentiated urgent same day response for each segment of our population (generally healthy; living with illness; lower complexity; advanced disease; end of life, frailty & dementia)
• align with improving access in primary care and local delivery of the national access recovery plan for primary care through collaborative working across the whole health and care system
In recognition of this ambition the Authority is proposing a phased approach moving away from an individual provider led model to a transformed integrated model. As a minimum the service from November 2023 shall include:
• a primary community led triage and assessment model
• • assessment and treatment of minor illness and injury, possibly via a hub/spoke model, integrated with primary care enhanced access, GP out of hours and the emergency department. We will expect the service to interface with a number of other services to maximise the capacity across the whole health and care system, and it is expected these interfaces are mobilized as soon as possible over the course of the contract.
• • enable 24/7 access (eg. through integration with existing same day primary medical care access services and reasonable operating hours of the integrated urgent assessment and treatment service)
• provision to all ages - both adults and children and recognizing that the majority of patients accessing the current service are children and 20-65y
II.2.14) Additional information
carried on from 2.4 - who are generally well or have a single long-term condition
• provision to the population of West Essex, East & North Hertfordshire and any out of area patients attending PAH on an ad hoc basis
• collective responsibility for managing risk and surges in demand and working together to align capacity accordingly.
II.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice:
06/06/2023
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.8) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement:
No
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.3) Additional information
The Authority is inviting interested providers who are willing to make the commitment to collaboration in an alliance way of working, and who believe they have the necessary capabilities and experience set out above to respond to the Request for Information (RFI).
This process is being conducted via the Bravo E-Procurement Portal at
https://attain.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.html
Click on ‘Register’ and follow the on-screen instructions.
This PIN is not commencing a competitive process but does not exclude new entrants to the collaborative either via partnering or subcontracting arrangements or the possibility of future procurement.
The Authority will conduct a process that complies with the principles of transparency and equal treatment however the Authority is not required (and does not intend) to run the process in accordance with one of the specified procedures in the Regulations (e.g., Restricted, Open etc.). The Authority is, therefore, utilising the flexibilities available to them under the "light touch regime" in conducting this process.
The Authority is not liable for any costs incurred by those responding to the PIN or relating RFI.
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
06/06/2023