Award

GP Clinical Assessment Service - Cat 3 & 4

SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE SERVICE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

07 Feb 2025 at 14:44

Summary of the contracting process

The South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust intends to award a contract using the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 for a GP Clinical Assessment Service - Category 3 & 4. This service aims to enable urgent care line calls to be assessed by GPs over the phone, significantly reducing unnecessary ambulance dispatches. The contract is set to be awarded via the Direct Award Process C, with an initial mandatory standstill period until 19th February 2025. The current contract ends on 31st March 2025, with a new contract running from 1st April 2025 to 31st March 2026, and an option to extend for a further year to 31st March 2027.

This tender provides substantial opportunities for SMEs, particularly those specialised in healthcare services. Businesses providing GP assessment and consultancy services would be well-suited to compete, given the need to support urgent care lines and reduce ambulance demand. Winning this contract would aid the successful supplier in forming a strategic partnership with the NHS and demonstrate their capability in delivering critical health services across the South Central region.

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Notice Title

GP Clinical Assessment Service - Cat 3 & 4

Notice Description

Intention to award a Contract under THE HEALTH CARE SERVICES (PROVIDER SELECTION REGIME) REGULATIONS 2023 - Direct Award Process C for the provision of a GP Lead Clinical Assessment Service for Category 3 & 4 - to allow for calls to the Urgent Care phone line to be assessed by GPs over the telephone, reducing the need for dispatching ambulances in cases where the medical need would be better served by a different clinical solution. Achieving an 80% downgrade rate.

Lot Information

Lot 1

As part of the South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) remit to operate the 999 call service, it was identified that ambulances were being sent to patients that didn't need them, which otherwise could have been downgraded over the phone, reducing the need to dispatch an ambulance unnecessarily, and reducing the pressure and demand on the use of ambulances. A subcontract was set up between SCAS and their subcontractor to provide a GP Clinical Assessment Service to support this. The existing contract is due to expire on 31st March 2025. The contract has shown a huge benefit to SCAS - downgrade rates of 80%. As a result of the success of the contract, an additional one year contract is required from 1st April 2025 to 31st March 2026, with an option to extend for a further additional year. to 31st March 2027. If the contract expires with no replacement, SCAS and the public would experience a huge drop in service level, and an unnecessary dispatching of ambulances, putting further pressure on ambulance resources.

Options: One additional optional extension year is allowable as part of this contract placement.

Procurement Information

The contract falls under the THE HEALTH CARE SERVICES (PROVIDER SELECTION REGIME) REGULATIONS 2023.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-04dcd6
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/004198-2025
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services


CPV Codes

85121100 - General-practitioner services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£2,733,000 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
7 Feb 20251 years ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
6 Feb 20251 years ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE SERVICE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
Contact Name
Julie Robins
Contact Email
julie.robins@scas.nhs.uk
Contact Phone
+44 7815476108

Buyer Location

Locality
BICESTER
Postcode
OX26 6HR
Post Town
Oxford
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ14 Oxfordshire CC
Delivery Location
TLJ South East (England)

Local Authority
Cherwell
Electoral Ward
Bicester South and Ambrosden
Westminster Constituency
Bicester and Woodstock

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

EAST BERKSHIRE PRIMARY CARE OUT OF HOURS

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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