---
title: "Medicare ultrasound insourcing for NOUS ultrasound"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-078d9a"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078d9a"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078d9a.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078d9a.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "COUNTESS OF CHESTER HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST"
published: "2026-10-22"
---

# Medicare ultrasound insourcing for NOUS ultrasound

Buyer: COUNTESS OF CHESTER HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-078d9a

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## Summary

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust contracted Medicare Insourcing Services Limited to extend its existing ultrasound insourcing service for NOUS ultrasound. The service supports diagnostic ultrasound activity, helping the Trust manage sustained demand, sonographer vacancies and reduced capacity while two ageing scanners are replaced. Ultrasound is a high-volume diagnostic service for the Trust, and the extension is intended to support backlog recovery and maintain diagnostic capacity during this interim period. The work is for the Trust’s hospital service in Chester. The award’s delivery data also lists broad areas across England, but does not identify specific sites beyond the Trust’s Chester location.

The procurement is complete and the contract is active. The Trust used a below-threshold direct award without competition, under the Provider Selection Regime. Medicare Insourcing Services Limited was selected. The contract was signed on 20 October 2026 and runs from 20 October to 30 November 2026, extending the existing service for four months according to the procurement description. The contract value is £40,631.04 excluding VAT, or £489,757.25 including VAT. The published data does not set out an evaluation or award-scoring basis; the supplier was appointed directly to extend the incumbent ultrasound insourcing arrangement. There was one lot, covering the ultrasound service extension.

For a supplier considering similar work for the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, this award shows demand for outsourced diagnostic ultrasound capacity to help address sustained activity, workforce shortages and equipment-related constraints. A credible competitor would need to provide appropriately skilled sonographers and reliable capacity that can support routine service delivery and backlog recovery while the Trust’s scanner fleet is renewed. The requirement was handled as a direct, below-threshold extension of an existing arrangement, and the incumbent supplier was retained. That indicates the importance of continuity and the ability to mobilise or sustain an established insourcing service in a hospital setting. The procurement data does not describe specific accreditation, staffing numbers or technical qualification requirements, so these should not be inferred.

## Notice

The trust requires a 4-month contract extension to extend the existing ultrasound insourcing contract. Ultrasounds remain one of the Trust's highest volume diagnostic modalities and continues to represent a significant risk to DM01 compliance due to sustained demand growth and ongoing workforce constraints. The service currently operates with a 25% sonographer vacancy rate, reflecting national shortages which are not expected to resolve in the short term. In addition to ongoing workforce shortages and sustained growth in demand, the service is currently experiencing reduced diagnostic resilience due to an aging ultrasound equipment fleet. Two ultrasound scanners have reached the end of their serviceable life and are in the process of being replaced following capital approval. While this investment is critical for long term sustainability, the interim period of reduced equipment availability has further exacerbated backlog recovery and constrained capacity.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/099847-2026 |
| 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 | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 22 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 20 Oct 2026 - 30 Nov 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £40,631 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | COUNTESS OF CHESTER HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST |
| Locality | CHESTER |
| Postcode area | Chester |
| Postcode | CH2 1UL |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLD6 Cheshire |
| ITL 3 | TLD63 Cheshire West and Chester |
| Local authority | Cheshire West and Chester |
| Electoral ward | Upton |
| Westminster constituency | Chester North and Neston |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | Medicare Insourcing Services Limited |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 98 - Other community, social and personal services

### Codes

- 98300000 - Miscellaneous services

## Release History

- 22 Oct 2026 at 10:44 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/099847-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/099847-2026
  22nd October 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://medicare.uk.com/
- 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-078d9a. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078d9a.json.