Market engagement for Enhanced Community Gynaecology Service (ECGS) for Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board - South and West Hertfordshire place

Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB has a vision to deliver a truly integrated community gynaecology service working collaboratively across Acute, Community and Primary Care to provide specialist assessment and treatment for gynaecological conditions delivered in community settings closer to patients’ homes to improve the quality of care delivered for patients with gynaecological conditions in South and West Hertfordshire (SWH). The SWH vision is for the Enhanced Community Gynaecology Service (ECGS) to be the default preference for patients requiring specialist assessment and treatment for gynaecological conditions within the South and West Hertfordshire area.

The service will provide an integrated model for gynaecology which will include out-patients, fast access to a range of diagnostic and out-patient procedure activity currently undertaken in existing community and secondary care Gynaecology services. In addition to specialist assessment, treatment and non-complex procedures the service will act as a mechanism to ensure appropriate onward referral into secondary care in-patient elective care. The provider will be expected to have in place close working relationships with the Acute Services to operate direct listing with the ICB’s main providers of Secondary Care.

Further information on the service to be provided is in the attached draft Service Specification for the Enhanced Community Gynaecology Service which can be found within the Suppliers attachments area of the Bravo e-procurement portal.

To this end, the ICB has been working in partnership with its key provider stakeholders (the incumbent providers) to bring the three pathways across Acute, Community and Primary Care together into an integrated multi-disciplinary model which meets that vision and improves the quality of care for the patient population of South and West Hertfordshire.

Through these discussions with current incumbent stakeholders, HWE ICB believes it has identified the providers most capable and uniquely placed of leading and delivering the Enhanced Community Gynaecology Service. Those key provider stakeholders are: The Gynaecology Partnership Ltd, West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals, Royal Free London Hospitals, Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS FT and GPs within South and West Hertfordshire.

It has been determined that this local integrated partnership arrangement is working well and achieving good outcomes for South and West Hertfordshire patients. The current providers deliver a local integrated service which supports a resilient healthcare system with GP-led and Consultant-led service elements which operates across Primary Care, Community and Secondary Care Services. The service provides opportunities to increase access to healthcare, reduce health inequalities and disparities, promoting patient choice through provision of a local community gynaecology multidisciplinary team, including Consultants on the specialist part of the register, GPs with Special Interest, Gynaecology Nurse Specialists, and local GPs/Practice Nurses as part of the service to deliver seamless care pathways in community settings.

To participate in discussions regarding fulfilling the role of the Enhanced Community Gynaecology Service, the lead provider must:

(i) be willing to work with the current providers as outlined above and with each of our existing GP practices and primary care networks,

(ii) have previous experience of leading multi-disciplinary integrated care service delivery,

(iii) a willingness to sign up to appropriate system wide outcomes,

(iv) have a good understanding of the local system and operating environment, and

(v) have the necessary financial capabilities to hold and manage the scale of risk of overspend for the contract and be willing to participate as a part of the wider HCP through taking a degree of income risk share and signing up to an Alliance Agreement with all other key provider stakeholders in the system. Additional information: This process is being conducted via the Attain Bravo e-procurement portal, the draft specification and the Request for Information document can be accessed via the below web address:

attain.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login ↗

This PIN is not commencing a competitive process but does not exclude the possibility of a future procurement. The deadline for responding is 9th February at 12noon.