Primary Medical Services: Beaulieu Park

This notice is a confirmation to award a contract under the Most Suitable Provider process further to the observation of a standstill period. NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board ICB (M&SEICB), the contracting authority, has a responsibility to commission primary medical services on behalf of the local population. This duty is overseen by the Primary Care Commissioning Committee. Due to significant housing growth, a new primary medical care health center is due to open at Beaulieu Park, located in Chelmsford Essex in Autumn 2024 to meet the health needs associated with the housing growth. The ICB intends to operate this new site as an additional site of an existing local primary care provider - local practices (non- special allocation service) whose boundary covers the practices site; and/or local practices (non- special allocation service) with a clinic site within 7km of the Beaulieu Park site of Primary Medical Services under an GMS or APMS contract. The Beaulieu Park services are to be provided under the providers’ existing contract, with the Beaulieu Park site added as an additional service location. Services for the Beaulieu Park primary care services will be provided by way of a variation to the successful providers’ existing APMS or GMS contract. Any new patients registered, associated with the Beaulieu Park site, will be funded at GMS rates – if a provider is currently on an APMS contract new patients registered associated with the Beaulieu Park site will be funded at GMS rates. Providers will need to accept a patient list size of zero from day one of the contract with the Beaulieu Park new housing residents becoming registered and through patient choice any patients choosing to register from their current practice to the new Beaulieu Park provider. Due to patient choice the ICB is unable to guarantee patient numbers, but population growth estimates are available. The most recent Chelmsford housing trajectory published in March 2023 showed 2,420 dwellings outstanding in the Beaulieu development. The ICB assumes 2.4 people per dwelling giving 5,808 new residents. Therefore, the indicative first year contract value based on the above dwelling assumption would be 5,808 x £107.57 (Global Sum 24/25) = £624,767 Primary care providers must: • be located within a 7km radius of the Beaulieu Park primary care new build facility. • operate this site as a “sister” site alongside existing premises. A single equitable access model must be provided across all sites, within a single continuous boundary line. If the practice boundary does not already cover the housing development associated with this new build the provider must extend the practice boundary to incorporate it. • actively engage with General Practice Improvement Programme. • expectation is premises will be open during core GMS hours by the end of 2027 (if not sooner) • hold a compliant lease with the housing developers (which will require signature before service commencement) • be able to provide services from this site from Autumn 2024 Given the detailed knowledge of the provider landscape, the need for a fair, proportionate process which enables a phased go-live in Autumn 2024 it was recommended that the ICB enter the ‘Most Suitable Provider’ process under the new PSR regulations.