Mid and South Essex Breathlessness and Diagnostic Hubs

The Authority has taken a decision to vary it's existing contract with Provide CIC for provision of Community Health Services, from 1st April 2022, to include the Breathlessness and Diagnostic (B&D) Hubs, covering the population of Mid & South Essex , for the remaining term of two years, until 31st March 2024.

The initial contract term awarded pertaining to B&D Hubs was for 4 months only, from 1st December 2021 - 31st March 2022, at an aggregate value of £412,558. This was advertised via a Contract Award Notice published in Contracts Finder on 6 December 2021. Additionally a VEAT (2021/S 000-030272) was published to cover the Authorities intention to put forward a business case to extend the model of care beyond the 4 month period and as such, to clearly indicate to the market an intention to award a contract for a period of up to a total of 12 months, from 1st December 2021 – 30th November 2022. The aggregate contract value was originally forecasted at £990,138, over the 12 month term.

However, since then the CCG has worked closely with the Provider and identified several additional costs that were not accounted for in the original contract value published and have negotiated some changes in scope of delivery including additional workforce as well as agreeing the service to continue to be provided until 31st March 2024, instead of 30th November 2022. At time of publication, the aggregated contract value associated with the scope of services (pertaining to the element of the contract being modified), based on the period 1st December 2021 - 31st March 2024 (and an annual contract value of £1,980,636) is £4,459,272.

The objectives and benefits of this service will be to:

• To reduce the number of unplanned admissions for Respiratory disease, particularly short-stay admissions.
• To improve the ability of patients to self-manage and support them to do so when they exacerbate, ensuring they access the most appropriate services in a timely and safe manner.
• To ensure patients are managed holistically, linking into local services for their other healthcare needs, e.g. Falls, Swallowing and Continence problems.
• To ensure that GP’s and practice nurses have the right training and specialist support to manage all COPD and Asthma patients in line with national guidance without undue referrals to secondary care.
• To support early discharge of patients with COPD through remote monitoring of the patient within their own home.

The service will ensure that the following core criteria are met as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan:

• To build on the existing NHS RightCare programme to reduce variation in the quality of spirometry testing across Mid and South Essex. More staff in the community will be trained and accredited to provide the specialist input required to interpret results.
• The service must ensure equity of access. Consideration must be given to groups most likely to be impacted by health inequalities and how they access and utilise healthcare services to ensure that no one is discouraged or unable to benefit.

The Authority has concluded that it can rely on Regulation 72 (1) (c) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 as amended by The Public Procurement (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020, and has instead modified it's existing Community Health Services contract with Provide CIC as the B&D Hubs are community services, that are similar to and complementary to the services already included in the existing Contract and therefore do not alter the overall nature of the contract. The current MSE contract for Community Health Services with Provided CIC has been modified to to include the B&D Hubs, covering the population of Mid & South Essex, for a period of 37 months, from 1st December 2021 until 31st March 2024.