GP Led Out of Hours Services Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin ICB - Market Engagement

The GP Out of Hours Service has been commissioned historically by STW ICB to ensure that care is provided in the right place at the right time, ideally closer to home, to improve patient experience while also reducing demand on urgent and emergency care services, hospital admissions and associated waiting times across the health and care system.<br/><br/>There are currently 50 GP practices within STW, with 37 in Shropshire and 13 in Telford and Wrekin, covering a total population of 531,951. As of June 2024, the population covered in each locality was as follows:<br/>• Shrewsbury locality (11 practices) – approx. 107,348 <br/>• South locality (14 practices) – approx. 103,851<br/>• North locality (12 practices) – approx. 114,907 <br/>• Telford and Wrekin (13 practices) – approx. 205,845<br/> <br/>The patient population also covers any temporary residents covered by a Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin ICB responsible practice, and any person eligible for NHS treatment visiting the ICB area for less than 24 hours and requiring urgent medical care.<br/><br/>This service is made up of three elements, as outlined below:<br/><br/>1. Out of Hours GP Cover:<br/><br/>The Provider shall operate GP Out of Hours services during periods outside of local GP surgeries’ core hours across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.<br/><br/>2. GP Cover for Protected Learning Time (PLT):<br/><br/>STW ICB funds GP cover to allow the 50 GP practices across its four localities to close to enable staff development at dates agreed with commissioners annually for PLT sessions. Providing cover for protected learning time in this way enables GP practice staff to undertake learning activities that benefit patients, practices and the ICB. <br/><br/>3. Outbreak Response:<br/><br/>A national mandate dated July 2017 advised that all ICBs were required to commission an antiviral treatment service during the out of season outbreak period that supports the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) function to discharge their duties. Local Authority Health Protection Teams (LA HPT) support care home outbreaks locally and may lead communications with the Provider. Following Gateway reference 07402 dated 20th November 2017, these instructions have now been extended to cover the full 52-week period. In the event of emergency outbreaks of highly infectious diseases, the Provider will also be called upon to respond accordingly through the provision of both antimicrobial and antiviral treatments, as appropriate. <br/><br/>Any Provider wishing to express an interest in delivering GP Led Out of Hours Services in the STW area should register their interest and confirm attendance at the Market Engagement Event scheduled for the 13/09/2024 from 12:00 noon to14:00 hours, which can be found on the Atamis Health Family eCommercial System at https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome. Interested providers should express interest no later than 12:00 noon on 11/09/2024. A Microsoft Teams Invite for the Market Engagement Event shall be provided on the 12/09/2024.<br/><br/>Not attending this event will not prevent future Providers from participating in any future procurement process. Any future procurement process will advertise the information shared and questions and answers addressed at the Market Engagement event to ensure complete transparency.<br/><br/>This market engagement exercise shall enable STW ICB to ascertain the current state of the provider market which will influence future commissioning and procurement direction.<br/><br/>It is anticipated that any future contract will be for a period of three years with the option to extend for up to a further 24-month period, with an estimated value of £30million (including extensions) excluding VAT. NHS Standard Contract Terms and Conditions will apply. The anticipated Contract go-live date is 01st July 2025.<br/><br/><br/>STW ICB is only seeking expressions of interest from providers who are genuinely attracted to this potential opportunity and capable of providing the service. Please only express an interest if you have the relevant authority to do so on behalf of your organisation.<br/><br/>Please note those organisations that have expressed an interest will still be required to register separately for any future procurement and should not rely on their response to this EoI.