Barnet Wheelchair Services

Barnet Borough, North Central London Integrated Care Board (NCL ICB) wish to commission an integrated wheelchair service for people of all ages who have a long-term need (longer than 6 months, or life expectancy of less than 6 months) for mobility assistance and who are registered with a Barnet GP practice. As of 1st January 2023, there are 50 GP practices in Barnet, with a total registered population of ~440,000. Of which there are approximately 3,300 registered service users of the current Barnet wheelchair service (~3,000 adults and ~300 children) Barnet Borough envisage that the service will provide a care model for wheelchair users which supports delivery of the Wheelchair Alliance Charter in helping those with complex, long-term conditions access the right chair, right time, right now, and with appropriate information and support. The full service will cover: 1. Assessment, prescription, and supply of powered and manual wheelchairs and associated postural seating accessories (WCS) 2. Rehabilitation Engineering facilities (RE) 3. Service and Maintenance packages (AR) These elements will be delivered under an integrated service managed through one organisation which has overall responsibility for the delivery of the service. The following set of guiding principles describe what a future-state service that delivers the vision statement will look like. These core principles outline a blueprint for wheelchair services: • Wheelchair services offered will be person-centred and holistic towards the users' needs, promoting and enabling self-help and empowerment; • Access into wheelchair services is through a single point of access/contact with users being seen by the right people, at the right time, in the right place, and receiving the right equipment; • Information and communication systems will be used effectively to ensure relevant information on a user's care is available where and when it is needed for users and clinicians; • Core support processes and services will be aligned to deliver care in ways which minimise avoidable delays and non-value adding activities; • Clinical teams will be fully engaged in the management of the service and will use clear metrics to measure service delivery and improvement; • Advice should be readily available to stakeholders to avoid the need for unnecessary referral; The service will be expected to be delivered in line with the recommendations of CECOPS CIC . Service response times will be in accordance with the minimum standards within the Healthcare Standards for NHS-Commissioned Wheelchair Services, DH (2015) and the 18-week Referral to Treatment standard. All service users must be offered a Personal Wheelchair Budget, with the exception of where a service user has rapidly changing and deteriorating conditions. The service shall be provided in the most appropriate environment in order to best address the disabled person/child's needs. This should include the full range of community settings, such as home, education, place of employment, in addition to a wheelchair clinic. However, the service will maintain a hub in Barnet. The service must operate Monday to Friday between 8.00am to 6.00pm, exclusive of Bank Holidays, though flexibility around assessment times is considered where requested. The service will also be expected to operate until 8.00pm at least two evenings per week and for 4 hours on Saturday morning to accommodate the needs of users or carers who require appointments at these times. Repairs services will operate an Out of Hours emergency facility outside of core weekday hours between 7:00am and 9.00am and 5.00pm and 11.00pm. The weekend emergency cover must operate between the hours of 7:00am and 11.00pm, inclusive of Bank Holidays. The new service will be commissioned for 3 years (with the option of a 2-year extension) from 1st June 2024. This contract will be commissioned on a block arrangement basis. 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: https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert?advertId=cdda9a4e-be74-ee11-8124-005056b64545 Additional information: 3 years (36 months) with an option to extend for an additional 2 years