Children's Community Nursing in Education Settings (CNIES)

The Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023, Paragraph 10 - The Most Suitable Provider Process is being used to commission this service. This notice will be live for fourteen (14) days from the date of publication.

This is a notice to inform the market of the intention to award a contract for a Children's Community Nursing in Education Settings (CNIES) via the Most Suitable Provider process.

1. Purpose

This document sets out the mandatory requirements, assessment criteria and evidence expectations proposed for application under the Provider Selection Regime Most Suitable Provider process for the Children's Community Nursing service supporting children and young people with complex health needs in education settings.

The criteria reflect:

NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB's statutory duties relating to children's health, safeguarding and SEND.

Continuity of safe care for children and young people with complex health needs in education settings.

Safe clinical governance, delegation, training and competency assurance arrangements.

County-wide delivery across relevant Derby City and Derbyshire education settings.

The need to minimise mobilisation, clinical, safeguarding and operational risk for a vulnerable cohort.

Important: All mandatory requirements must be met in full before comparative assessment against the key criteria.

2. Mandatory Requirements

2.1 Delivery of the Specified Service Model

The provider must demonstrate the ability to deliver services through a hub and spoke model, including:

Deliver the commissioned three-tier hub-and-spoke model of support described in the service specification.

Provide nurse-led support to meet the needs of individual children or young people in identified schools.

Provide oversight and support across relevant education settings in Derby City and Derbyshire to enable non-NHS staff to undertake appropriately delegated tasks.

Flex support in response to changing levels of need.

2.2 Clinical Workforce Capability

The provider must demonstrate that it has the clinical workforce capability to deliver the service as described in the service specification, including:

Employing appropriately registered children's nurses and healthcare professionals who have experience of working in education settings.

Maintain sufficient workforce capacity and skill mix to deliver the service safely.

Recruit, train, supervise and retain specialist staff.

Provide appropriate clinical leadership and professional accountability.

Evidence an operationally credible workforce model, including mitigation of vacancies and absence.

2.3 Integration with Education Settings and System Partners

The provider must have experience of working in education settings and be able to:

Demonstrate operational arrangements with SEND schools, mainstream schools and relevant post-16 settings.

Demonstrate the ability to work effectively with Derby City Council, Derbyshire County Council, community children's nursing teams, Continuing Care services, primary care, secondary care and other specialist services.

Participate in multidisciplinary and multi-agency planning for individual children and young people.

2.4 Individual Healthcare Plans and Clinical Oversight

The provider must demonstrate the ability to:

Assess whether identified healthcare support is within scope of the service model.

Work with education settings in Derby and Derbyshire to support the creation and review of Individual Healthcare Plans in collaboration with NHS-assured clinicians and families.

Maintain oversight of delegated healthcare interventions delivered in education settings across Derby and Derbyshire.

Trigger timely review when a child or young person's needs change.

2.5 Delegation, Training and Competency Assurance

The provider must demonstrate the ability to work to local and national delegation, training and competency frameworks, including:

Application of the local Delegation of Duties SOP, the NMC Code and relevant national guidance.

Deliver or support competency-based training, supervision and reassessment for education staff and clinical support workers.

Maintain auditable competency frameworks, including child-specific training where required.

Provide training and competency assurance for enteral feeding, epilepsy, respiratory care, safe and accurate medication, tracheostomy care and anaphylaxis awareness.

2.6 Safeguarding, Risk and Incident Management

The provider must demonstrate the ability to:

Comply with national and local safeguarding policies and statutory guidance.

Maintain appropriate safeguarding leadership, supervision and escalation arrangements.

Contribute to relevant multi-agency safeguarding processes.

Operate robust risk assessment, incident reporting, investigation, learning and significant event analysis processes.

2.7 SEND and Complex Health Needs Expertise

The provider must demonstrate the ability to be able to:

Apply relevant SEND legislation, statutory guidance and the SEND Code of Practice 0 to 25 years.

Demonstrate experience of supporting children and young people with complex needs, disability, Continuing Care needs, long-term conditions and life-limiting or life-threatening conditions.

Support safe transitions between education settings and, where appropriate, into adult services.

2.8 Geographic Coverage, Continuity and Resilience

The provider must be able to demonstrate ability to

Deliver across relevant maintained and non-maintained education settings within Derby City and Derbyshire, in accordance with the service scope.

Travel between hub and spoke across Derby City and Derbyshire education settings according to need.

Maintain business continuity and operational resilience.

Manage boundary issues proactively with commissioners and neighbouring providers, prioritising safe care.

2.9 Mobilisation by 1st January 2027

The provider must demonstrate the ability to mobilise the full service safely and operationally by 1st January 2027, including,

Workforce readiness

Operatio…