Telephone Advice and Guidance

NHS England 22/23 priorities and operational guidance states the importance of access to specialist advice services in order to optimise referrals and enhance patient pathways. On this basis North Central London CCG are seeking to commission a digital platform to enable both telephone based and clinically secure photo messaging application for the provision of Clinical Advice & Guidance for a range of clinical specialties.

The platform will support the range of organisations within NCL (primary, community, acute, tertiary, mental health and ambulance) to access specialist advice and guidance in a timely manner that enhances the patient pathway.

The service is able to offer a range of specialties covering both physical and mental health and also as appropriate cover for routine and urgent care.

The service will initially offer local clinicians to provide the specialist advice and guidance. Where this is not available, subject to pathway consideration, an offer of advice and guidance from a clinician outside of North Central London should be made available.

The service will also allow clinicians from providers to engage with clinicians in other local providers in NCL thus facilitating the creation and development of local system working, as part of the future development of clinical networks in the North Central London Integrated Care System.

The Benefits

• Better patient experience

o Patient receives quicker decision on expected patient pathway/treatment/diagnosis

o Avoid unnecessary visits to hospital

• Better GP experience

o Immediate/timely support from other healthcare specialists

 Signposting to correct pathway

 Advice on appropriate diagnostics

 Support on patient management plans

 Education and professional development

o Creating a network amongst healthcare professionals within NCL that

o Easy to use system that allows quick easy access to advice via conversation/messaging

• Better Consultant experience

o More efficient and timely way to support healthcare professionals with advice and guidance

o Avoid inappropriate referrals coming to hospital

o Supporting dialogue with other healthcare professionals

• Better for the hospital and CCG/ICS

o Development of NCL networks across the ICS

o Providing system support across healthcare professionals and providers

o Support better integration throughout patients pathway by connecting organisations together at different stages of the pathway

Expected outcomes from this service include:

• Provide timely access to clinical advice and guidance for healthcare professionals
• Enhance and improve access to clinical services through digital technology and innovation
• Provision of consistently high quality service meeting the needs of the clinical service user and improving the timely management of patients
• Provision of a highly stable digital and telephony platform
• Recorded outcomes of clinical advice and guidance to enable clinical audit of the service at specialty level and clinical user level
• High level of clinical user satisfaction from healthcare professionals using and delivering the service
• Supporting service users to access the service in the most supportive and effective way including training, reviewing services at specialty/GP/ GP practice/ hospital provider
• Provide Education and professional development to healthcare professionals using the platform.

The contract is for 3 year with an option to extend for an additional 2 years. The contract value for the five year period is £3,160,000

The Contract is expected to commence on 1st October 2022, with the possible deadline for delivery of the service being 30th September 2027.

Bidders are requested to review the contents of the ITT guidance document carefully, register their organisation, and express their interest in the ITT via the e-tendering portal (ProContract). ITT documentation can be accessed following initial registration and expression of interest via the e-tendering portal:

procontract.due-north.com/register ↗

Any reference to "the e-tendering portal" should be considered reflective of the above web address.

The ITT has been issued through the e-tendering portal. All Bidders wishing to participate must complete and submit Bids that comply with the requirements set out in the ITT document. Bidders are required to complete the online questionnaire on procontract and upload any attachments as indicated before the deadline for submission of bids specified in the ITT document.

The project on Procontract Portal can be accessed by clicking the following link: -procontract.due-north.com/Advert ↗

The deadline for the submission of tender is 1400hrs on 21 March 2022.

The deadline for any clarification questions is 1700hrs on 14th March 2022. All clarification questions must be submitted via the messaging facility on Pro-contract. Additional information: In line with the Health and Care Bill, it is envisaged that CCGs will be abolished and replaced by Integrated Care Boards (ICBs). Any reference to CCG as Contracting Authority in this procurement should be interpreted as referring to the ICB that will take their place in due course.