NECS523 - NEAS Third-Party 111 and IUC CAS Procurement Framework

North of England Commissioning Support (NECS) are working for and on behalf of the North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (NEAS) to alert the market of a possible future opportunity in which we will invite proposals from suitably experienced, qualified, and resourced providers of 111 Online and Primary Care Speak To (PCST) services to support the delivery of the Trust's North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENC ICB) commissioned 111 and Integrated Urgent Care (IUC) Clinical Assessment Service (CAS) contract.

North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (NEAS) are the Ambulance (Blue Light) Emergency Service for the North East of England. As one of 10 English NHS Ambulance Trusts, we work across the region to provide emergency ambulance care and patient transport services to over 2.7 million people. We also provide the region's 999 and NHS 111 non-emergency phone lines, provide medical cover at events, and deliver first aid training to businesses and communities in the North East.

We operate from 60+ sites and cover almost 3,500 square miles, including the counties of Durham, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and the boroughs of Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar, Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees.

We employ more than 3,000 people and respond to approximately 400,000 emergency and urgent incidents each year.

The Trust currently calls upon third-party providers to support the delivery of clinical call-back dispositions via 111 Online, and Primary Care Speak To (PCST) dispositions reached through the telephone-based triage of 111 calls. These services are provided regionally, in the case of 111 Online, and in three geographical sub-lots in the case of PCST:

1. Northumberland, North Tyneside, Newcastle
2. North Durham, South Durham (including the Durham Dales, Easington and Sedgefield)
3. North Tees, South Tees

The services are secured via NHS Standard Sub-Contracts until 30th September 2025. The purpose of this PIN is to inform the market of our current position, and our intention to carry out a procurement exercise to re-tender these services. We intend to undertake market engagement with potential suppliers in late March 2025 and publish this tender opportunity on 1st April 2025.

This will provide sufficient time between tender issue and end date of the current contracts in which to complete the tender, award, and mobilisation processes.

Suppliers with the capacity and capability to provide Third Party 111 Online and Primary Care Speak To (PCST) services within the North East of England are asked to note this PIN and the planned tender issue date (1st April 2025). An outline of the proposed lot structure is provided further within this PIN, with detailed specifications of each lot to be included within the tender documents when published.