--- title: "Post Graduate Certificate in Clinical Echocardiography (Echocardiography Training Programme administered by the NSHCS)" ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-36525c66-a5e8-449d-aa5f-ba23d10a389c" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-36525c66-a5e8-449d-aa5f-ba23d10a389c" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-36525c66-a5e8-449d-aa5f-ba23d10a389c.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-36525c66-a5e8-449d-aa5f-ba23d10a389c.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "HEALTH EDUCATION ENGLAND" published: "2021-04-23" --- # Post Graduate Certificate in Clinical Echocardiography (Echocardiography Training Programme administered by the NSHCS) Buyer: HEALTH EDUCATION ENGLAND Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-b5fd17-36525c66-a5e8-449d-aa5f-ba23d10a389c [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-36525c66-a5e8-449d-aa5f-ba23d10a389c) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-36525c66-a5e8-449d-aa5f-ba23d10a389c.json) ## Summary The procurement process is being undertaken by Health Education England for a contract titled "Post Graduate Certificate in Clinical Echocardiography", focusing on the education and training services sector. The procurement is currently in the tender stage, with submissions open until 24th May 2021. The contract is expected to begin on 2nd August 2021 and run until 31st October 2024, with a total contract value of £2,250,000. The training programme aims to address a significant shortfall in the Cardiac Physiologist workforce in England, reflecting urgent service delivery needs. This tender presents a substantial opportunity for Higher Education Institutions or equivalent organisations that specialise in academic training and development within the healthcare sector. By responding to this opportunity, suitable candidates can contribute to improving healthcare delivery and workforce capacity in the field of echocardiography. The unique integrated programme seeks to deliver both academic content and practical training, ensuring that providers can meet the high demand for qualified personnel in cardiovascular diagnostics. ## Notice In line with the NHS People plan and Long term plan and the Richards report, the National School of Healthcare Science (NSHCS) have recognised the need to develop alternative routes to qualifying as a clinical scientist. The Echocardiography Training Programme (ETP) has been developed, as a pathway that will respond more rapidly to the urgent workforce needs for Cardiac Physiologists able to independently operate as echocardiographers. The Cardiac Physiology workforce has grown as result of the Scientific Training Programme (STP), however, the demand for Cardiac Physiologists remains high, with a current estimated shortfall of 663 WTE. The workforce shortfall represents a major risk to delivery of the people plan, particularly for waiting time targets in diagnosis and follow up of cardiovascular disease and cancer pathways, and the further development of 7-day services and delivery of Echocardiography in primary care. Currently 86% of patients diagnosed with cardiomyopathy have their echocardiogram in hospital, while only 10% are diagnosed by Echocardiography in the community - a large increase in access and delivery could offer significant improvements in speed of diagnosis and cost savings. The ETP was run as a small pilot in 2020 and all indications to date are that it is welcomed by the workforce and is working well. The pilot represents an accelerated pathway for Cardiac Physiologists to gain BSE Accreditation to enable them to work autonomously to meet the current workforce needs. The need for this course is urgent as the ability of training places is already extremely limited due to shortage of staffing and competing demands (delivering service, training Medical Staff, commitments to other areas of Cardiac Diagnostic department).This course is unique in offering an integrated programme to deliver both the Academic content leading to a Post Graduate Certificate in Clinical Echocardiography and work place training, building on successful elements of the STP including Echocardiography modules, Accreditation of departments and support for trainees and training officers, kick-starting the hands-on skills by utilising a simulator - research has shown this can significantly increase skills in the early learning phase. HEE and the NSHCS would like to develop and implement this programme to run alongside and be accredited and commissioned in the same way as the existing HCS programmes, and would like to invite Expressions of Interest/Tenders from Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) or equivalent who would like to deliver the Academic content. Following the Richards Report and in response to the Long term plan, HEE intends to implement the Post Graduate certificate in Echocardiography as an 18 month salary supported programme of the NSHCS starting in October 2021. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/f96f36c5-a1fb-4c33-b64d-8df9de6038f1 | | Notice type | Tender Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Open procedure | | Tender suitability | Not specified | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Tender | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 23 Apr 2021 | | Submission deadline | 24 May 2021 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 1 Aug 2021 - 31 Oct 2024 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £2,250,000 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Active | | Lots status | Not specified | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | HEALTH EDUCATION ENGLAND | | Locality | LEEDS | | Post town | Leeds | | Postcode | LS1 4PL | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLE Yorkshire and The Humber | | ITL 2 | TLE4 West Yorkshire | | ITL 3 | TLE42 Leeds | | Local authority | Leeds | | Electoral ward | Little London & Woodhouse | | Westminster constituency | Leeds Central and Headingley | | Delivery location | TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England) | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 80 - Education and training services ### Codes - 80000000 - Education and training services ## Release History - 23 Apr 2021 at 13:27 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/f96f36c5-a1fb-4c33-b64d-8df9de6038f1 ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/f96f36c5-a1fb-4c33-b64d-8df9de6038f1 23rd April 2021 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder - https://procontract.due-north.com/Opportunities/Index?p=40bb618e-0a24-e611-8114-000c29c9ba21&v=2 Further information relating to this project can be found at HEE's e-tendering portal at the link below. All clarification questions and submission bids must be received via this portal only. Registration is free of charge. ## Notice URLs - https://hee.nhs.uk/ ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-36525c66-a5e8-449d-aa5f-ba23d10a389c. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-36525c66-a5e8-449d-aa5f-ba23d10a389c.json.