Award

NHS SYICB - Sheff - CASES - Clinical Assessment, Support and Education Service

NHS SOUTH YORKSHIRE INTEGRATED CARE BOARD

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

10 Mar 2026 at 14:47

Summary of the contracting process

The NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board has announced an intention to award a contract for Clinical Assessment, Support and Education Service (CASES) in Sheffield, focusing on medical practice and related services. This procurement falls under the Provider Selection Regime, with the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 governing the process. The procurement method is a limited, direct award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition, highlighting the unique nature of this medical services tender. The contract is set to start on 1 October 2025 and conclude on 31 March 2031, with a standstill period ending on 20 March 2026 for representations by providers. The process is currently in the award stage, indicating an elite opportunity for service enhancement in line with NHS strategies such as community provision optimisation.

This healthcare tender provides substantial opportunities for business growth, particularly for large-scale medical service providers capable of innovating referral systems and expanding community-based healthcare solutions. The opportunity is ideal for entities like Primary Care Sheffield Ltd, who can leverage their experience in delivering quality and value-driven healthcare services in local hubs, reducing hospital visits through advanced community interventions. Businesses well-suited to compete in this tender are those with a robust infrastructure to support healthcare innovation, collaboration, and sustainability, including organisations focusing on reducing health inequalities and promoting social value through practices like carbon reduction and greener service provision. The long contract duration encourages investment into sustainable practices and innovations that align with NHS long-term plans for healthcare advancement.

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How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

NHS SYICB - Sheff - CASES - Clinical Assessment, Support and Education Service

Notice Description

The ICB (Sheffield place) is seeking to optimise the potential of CASES in line with current NHS guidance around increasing community provision, including diagnostics. This is as required in the 2025 / 26 NHS Planning Guidance and the NHS Ten Year Plan https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-term-plan/ <br/><br/>We would expect to see the provider demonstrate:<br/><br/>1)Engagement with primary care to develop innovative ways to increase referrals through CASES;<br/><br/>2)Use of CASES intelligence to develop test of concept and to evaluate options for community activity that does not require a secondary care referral, but cannot be delivered in the primary care core contract;<br/><br/>3)Minimise the number of referrals that are sent back to primary care with advice and guidance which are then referred back into secondary care within a specific period

Lot Information

Lot 1

The ICB (Sheffield place) is seeking to optimise the potential of CASES in line with current NHS guidance around increasing community provision, including diagnostics. This is as required in the 2025 / 26 NHS Planning Guidance and the NHS Ten Year Plan https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-term-plan/

We would expect to see the provider demonstrate:

1)Engagement with primary care to develop innovative ways to increase referrals through CASES;

2)Use of CASES intelligence to develop test of concept and to evaluate options for community activity that does not require a secondary care referral, but cannot be delivered in the primary care core contract;

3)Minimise the number of referrals that are sent back to primary care with advice and guidance which are then referred back into secondary care within a specific period.

SY ICB are intending to award a contract under the PSR Direct Award Process C.

The contract will run from 1 October 2025 to 31 March 2031. Additional information: The key criteria have been considered as per the below information:

Key criteria 1. Quality and innovation Weighting - 20%

Engagement to increase referrals: we have seen a consistent increase in the number of monthly referrals to CASES, including from practices which have historically been low users of the service. The provider has a Service Development Improvement Plan which they report on every six weeks; they have been talking to practices to refresh awareness of the benefits of the service, and clarifying the arrangements for how it works (how to make a referral etc). They have scheduled an education event for practice administration staff on 17 September 2025, and a clinical learning event for January 2026. The PCS clinicians also promote the service through clinically focussed podcasts which disseminates learning from the service.

Key criteria 2. Value - Weighting 30%

CASES was externally evaluated in 2023 by ResPeo, who concluded that:

Every referral passed through CASES, saved the NHS money on a cost of CASES review versus outpatient appointments saved basis (PS0.4 per referral).
There are additional savings realised, based on less quantifiable areas, such as earlier cancer detection, patients attending with full work ups etc.

The full report can be found here: https://primarycaresheffield.org.uk/2024/02/09/cases-external-evaluation-shows-every-referral-that-uses-cases-saves-the-nhs-money/

The CASES service is designed to ensure that patients receive interventions which are evidence -based, within our locally agreed pathways and using medication which is prescribed according to our agreed Formulary. The narratives submitted by GPs as part of the Quality Contract and the "Themes and Trends" report from PCS provide evidence that this is being fulfilled.

Key criteria 3. Integration, collaboration and service sustainability - Weighting 20%

1) The ICB is satisfied that CASES is enhancing patient pathways and supporting the delivery of care in the right part of the system, as evidence in the narrative accounts submitted by GPs as part of fulfilling their obligations under our Quality Contract. These accounts provide evidence of advice given which has changed the planned course of care, e.g. different medication prescribed, watchful waiting approach applied, re-referral into a different speciality, self management advice given to the patient.

2) The ICB is confident that PCS are making progress in this area, for example via delivery of gynaecological interventions in community based women's hubs (intrauterine devices for heavy bleeding or as part of HRT, polyp removal, pessary fitting for prolapse and investigative pipelle biopsy). The next speciality focus is gastroenterology, with digital rectoscopy being introduced.

key criteria 4. Improving access, reducing health inequalities and facilitating choice - Weighting 20%

Access Sending a referral via CASES does not add significant additional time to a patient's journey. In 2024/25, 99.93% of referrals were processed within 2 working days (100% within 3). In many examples, the advice provided to the referring GP will speed up the patient journey (e.g. advice on ordering tests, patient information needed by STH, or advice to refer into a different speciality). Diverting some patients away from unnecessary secondary care treatment reduces their wait and makes the queue shorter for others who need hospital services.
Choice If a referral is made into secondary care, the patient should still be able to choose their provider at that point - choice is not affected by CASES.

key criteria 5. Social value - Weighting 10%

1) Delivery of services in local hubs (as alternatives to hospital based services) reduces journeys for patients. PCS is committed to a "Digital First" approach and where appropriate exploits remote services and hybrid digital / physical approaches (e.g. for training)

2) The CASES peer reviewers and STH clinical mentors continually develop new guidance for GPs which includes advice for self-management, for example recently in acne management.

3) The most recent "Trends and Themes" Quarterly report (April - June 2025) showed that between 8% - 17% of referrals to CASES were referred back to the GP with advice for primary care and / or self-management.

4) PCS is working with practices to promote carbon reduction schemes, promoting active travel, and working with pharmacies to explore greener prescribing and de-prescribing. They are also working to ensure that all their educational offers can promote greener policies and raise awareness of best practice in sustainable care provision. PCS are committed to sourcing goods locally, moving away from paper, and to recycling.

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 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 20/03/2026. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-066678
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021390-2026
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
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services


CPV Codes

85120000 - Medical practice and related services

85148000 - Medical analysis services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£3,335,900 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
10 Mar 20264 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
30 Sep 20255 months ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NHS SOUTH YORKSHIRE 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
SHEFFIELD
Postcode
S1 3FG
Post Town
Sheffield
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLE Yorkshire and The Humber
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLE3 South Yorkshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLE32 Sheffield
Delivery Location
TLE3 South Yorkshire

Local Authority
Sheffield
Electoral Ward
City
Westminster Constituency
Sheffield Central

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

PRIMARY CARE SHEFFIELD

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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