---
title: "Access to medicine and the professions 2026/27"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06e7c3"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06e7c3"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e7c3.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e7c3.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "NHS England"
published: "2026-08-19"
---

# Access to medicine and the professions 2026/27

Buyer: NHS England  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06e7c3

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06e7c3)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e7c3.json)

## Summary

NHS England commissioned education and training services under the programme “Access to medicine and the professions 2026/27”. The work supports young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds to prepare for and apply to medical school, dental school and other health-related undergraduate degree programmes. Delivery covers preparation and application support across one academic year, for participants seeking entry to health-related professions. The contracting organisation is NHS England, with the requirement serving a national health workforce and widening-participation purpose. The awarded supplier is The Sutton Trust, a large organisation based in London. This opportunity is relevant to providers of educational access, outreach, university application preparation and progression support for disadvantaged young people interested in healthcare careers.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded to The Sutton Trust through a direct award below the relevant threshold, without competition, under the Light Touch Regime. The contract was signed on 18 August 2026 for £287,500 gross, including the stated contract value, covering the period from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2027. It comprises one completed lot and the award is active. The evaluation route was therefore a non-competitive direct award rather than an open tender. The requirement runs as a single programme covering education and training services, with the contract title “Access to medicine and the professions 2026/27”.

This procurement demonstrates demand from NHS England for a specialist provider able to design and deliver structured education and outreach for young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds who are pursuing medical, dental and other health-related undergraduate routes. A credible competitor would need practical expertise in widening participation, learner support, health-professions admissions and preparation for competitive university applications. Relevant capability includes engaging disadvantaged cohorts, providing sustained guidance across an academic year, and helping learners understand and navigate applications to medical and dental schools and related programmes. Organisations with established relationships across education, healthcare and social-mobility networks would be well placed to demonstrate reach, trust and delivery capacity when this type of requirement is considered again.

## Notice

Supporting young people from lower socio economic backgrounds to prepare for and apply for medical, dental schools and other health related under grad degree programmes of study, over one academic year. Start: 01/09/2026 End: 31/08/2027 Awarded under the Light Touch Regime - CPV Code 80000000 - Education and training services sub-threshold.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/079044-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - without competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 19 Aug 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 18 Aug 2026 |
| Contract period | 1 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £287,500 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | NHS England |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Postcode area | South East London |
| Postcode | SE1 8UG |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI4 Inner London - East |
| ITL 3 | TLI45 Lambeth |
| Local authority | Lambeth |
| Electoral ward | Waterloo & South Bank |
| Westminster constituency | Vauxhall and Camberwell Green |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | The Sutton Trust |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 80 - Education and training services

### Codes

- 80000000 - Education and training services

## Release History

- 19 Aug 2026 at 14:18 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/079044-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/079044-2026
  19th August 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.england.nhs.uk/
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## 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-h6vhtk-06e7c3. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e7c3.json.