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On Demand Availability of Drugs for Palliative Care

NHS SURREY HEARTLANDS INTEGRATED CARE BOARD

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

TenderUpdate

20 May 2026 at 10:47

Tender Notice
Award

24 Feb 2026 at 15:50

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

In an updated tender process undertaken by the NHS Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board, a contract has been awarded for the on-demand availability of palliative care medication. The procurement, classified under pharmacy services (CPV 85149000), aims to ensure immediate and consistent access to palliative care drugs across the NHS Surrey Heartlands region, focusing on enhancing end-of-life care and decreasing unnecessary hospital admissions. This direct award was made under the Provider Selection Regime (PSR) and does not adhere to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. The 24-month contract, valued at £2,244, spans from 1st April 2026 to 31st March 2028, following a comprehensive decision-making process that concluded in early 2026. Boots Pharmacy Farnham was confirmed as the supplier, with NHS Surrey Heartlands ICB delegating buyer responsibilities. The procurement method was a limited, non-competitive process directed under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023.

This contractual opportunity offers significant scope for business growth, particularly for pharmacies and healthcare providers specialising in palliative care or community-based healthcare services. The awarded contract illustrates the importance of integration, collaboration, and innovation within healthcare services, promoting a sustainable model that significantly supports community healthcare needs. Businesses that can provide reliable access to critical medicines and demonstrate strong integration with local healthcare teams may find themselves well-positioned for such opportunities. Additionally, those capable of upskilling local workforces and reducing operational costs through efficient resource management can offer added value and contribute positively to the service's social and economic objectives. This aligns with the broader healthcare goal of reducing inequality and delivering comprehensive, community-rooted care.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

On Demand Availability of Drugs for Palliative Care

Notice Description

The aim of the service is to provide immediate and consistent access to palliative care medication across NHS Surrey Heartlands (and wider, work has been done collaboratively across Surrey) with the ultimate aim of providing the best level of End-of-Life care and reducing inappropriate admissions in the last weeks of a patient's life. To improve access for people to these specialist medicines when they are required by ensuring prompt access and continuity of supply. To support users, carers and clinicians by providing them with up-to-date information and advice, and referral where appropriate.

Lot Information

Lot 1

The purpose of this service is to support patients to live and die in their place of choice and to reduce inappropriate admissions in the last weeks of their life, a locally commissioned service (LCS) has been developed for the on-demand availability of palliative care drugs through a number of selected pharmacy contractors in the area. This service supplies specialist medicines for palliative care, the demand for which may be urgent and/or unpredictable via several pharmacy contractors. The pharmacy contractor will stock a locally agreed range of specialist medicines and will make a commitment to ensure that users of this service have prompt access to these medicines during their hours of opening. These drugs have been agreed by the service providers and are considered to cover most "urgent" requests. The pharmacy will provide information and advice to the user, carer and clinician in line with locally agreed palliative care guidelines. They may also refer to specialist centres, support groups or other health and social care professionals where appropriate. The palliative care drugs list and details of pharmacies will be circulated to all primary care prescribers, including the out of hours service, District Nurses, Palliative Care Nurses, Community Pharmacies, Hospital Pharmacists and Palliative Care Consultants so that all the appropriate health care professional are aware of what is reasonable to expect to be available. "Palliative care" pharmacies will be used mainly in an emergency situation, where the drugs cannot be obtained by the local Community Pharmacy within an appropriate timescale. The Commissioner intends to award a contract to an existing provider following direct award process C. The contract duration is 24-months, from 01/04/2026 - 31/03/2028. The lifetime value of the contract is PS2,244.00. This procurement has been carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioners.

Procurement 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 and the Procurement Act 2023 do not apply to this award. The standstill period begins on the day after the publication of this notice. Representations by providers must be made to the relevant authority by midnight on 09/03/2026. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-065b5a
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/046182-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Tender 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
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

85149000 - Pharmacy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£2,244 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
20 May 20263 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Cancelled
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NHS SURREY HEARTLANDS INTEGRATED CARE BOARD
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
WOKING
Postcode
GU21 5BH
Postcode Area
Guildford
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ2 Surrey, East and West Sussex
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ25 West Surrey
Delivery Location
TLJ2 Surrey, East and West Sussex
Local Authority
Woking
Electoral Ward
Canalside
Westminster Constituency
Woking

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Boots Pharmacy Farnham

Further Information

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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