Specialist Paediatric Palliative End of Life Care and Symptom Management Service - CAN

CPV: Medical specialist services

Procedure method

Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition

Legal basis

CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)

Procurement category

Services

Notice status

Awarded without competition

Procurement threshold

Unspecified in notice

Regulatory regime

Standard

Commercial structure

Stand-alone contract (no framework)

Competition type

Direct award (no call for competition)

GPA / WTO covered

Unspecified in notice

Recurring procurement

Unspecified in notice

First published

4 Aug 2026, 14:46 BST

Last source update

4 Aug 2026, 14:46 BST

FTS notice number

2026/S 000-073770

Classification (CPV)

Medical specialist services

Delivery area

South East (UKJ25)

Official registry OCID

ocds-h6vhtk-06db71 Find a Tender

Why no open competition

The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the directive

Published justification

This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) contract award notice. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and the Procurement Act 2023 do not apply to this award.

Publisher note: Shooting Star Children's Hospice (SSCH) is the sole provider of specialist children's palliative care in Surrey Heartlands ICB. The provider has consistently fulfilled contractual obligations, received positive feedback from stakeholders, and demonstrated robust performance against KPIs. There are no alternative providers with the required expertise in Surrey. The awarding of this contract does not materially differ from the existing contractual arrangement and ensures continuity of critical services for children of families with life-limiting conditions. Key Criteria and Justification: 1. Quality and Innovation (20% weighting): SSCH delivers an exceptional quality of care, and is weighted joint second highest for the reasons below: • Outstanding CQC rating for hospice and paediatric end-of-life care (PEOLC). • Clinical leadership in the regional SPAN network, with shared training to raise standards across Surrey, South West London, and Frimley. • Robust, multi-disciplinary complaint response and quality improvement processes. • Personalised, dignified care and a co-produced 3-year strategy developed in partnership with service users, supported by user-led governance structures, ensuring continuity without changes to service provision. • National policy contributions and co-leadership of the South East CYP PEOLC network. • All recommendations of the Quality Equality Impact Assessment (QEIA) are actively being met. 2. Value for Money (20% weighting): The SSCH SPACE service represents strong system-wide value, and is weighed joint second most highly for the following reasons: • Avoidance of fragmented care via a single, integrated specialist provider. • Reduced need for emergency care, ambulance transfers, and acute admissions. • Shorter stays in paediatric and neonatal intensive care units. • High-quality deaths supported by advanced care planning, minimising trauma and long-term mental health impacts for families. • A cost-benefit analysis confirms significant financial and human value. Without this service, risks to children with life-limiting conditions would not be adequately mitigated. 3. Integration, Collaboration, and Sustainability (25% weighting) : SSCH meets key national and local strategic aims for this Key Criteria which is weighted joint most highly for this service because the factors below contribute to the compassionate, tailored and reliable service for this vulnerable cohort: • Fully aligned with NHS England's 2023 Service Specification for CYP PEOLC and NICE NG61 guidance. • Actively contributes to the VCSE alliance and Surrey Youth Focus board and works to enhance links between health, social care, and community support services. • The provider works closely with NHS hospitals, including the Royal Marsden, Evelina London Children's Hospital, and Great Ormond Street Hospital, to deliver coordinated care. • Supports system flow and reduces pressure on acute services through in-reach, outreach, and domiciliary models of care, all of which contribute to a preferable experience for children and their families. • Collaborates across NHSE, tertiary centres, acute and community providers, VCSE partners, and social care. • Active participant in local planning for CYP care at Place level. • Ability to care for children in a single setting through a fully integrated, child-centred team which is also supportive of families and carers. • This service is integral to the delivery of the Fuller Stocktake, One System Plan, Clinical Strategy, and Health and Wellbeing Strategy. 4. Improving Access, Reducing Inequalities, and Facilitating Choice (25% weighting): The service is inclusive and tailored to meet the needs of vulnerable children and families. This Key Criteria is equally weighted most highly due to the child centred bespoke offer provided: • Provides person-centred, home-based care that minimises inequities in access. • Outreach model prevents gaps in access for Inclusion Health groups. • An Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) is completed, reviewed, and approved by Surrey Heartlands ICB. • The provider leads Transition Triage Partnerships in Surrey and southwest London, bringing together consultants and senior nursing staff from both children's and adult hospices. Through their Hospice at Home team, Shooting Star offers end-of-life and respite care in various settings, including homes and hospitals, ensuring families have choices about care locations. 5. Social Value (10% weighting): SSCH delivers and will continue to deliver meaningful social and environmental value by way of initiatives such as those below: • Inclusion of environmental sustainability within its 2023-2026 strategy demonstrated by installing solar panels at hospice sites to reduce reliance on non-renewable energy sources. • Implementation of recycling programs, including an annual Christmas tree collection and recycling initiative. • Integrating environmentally friendly practices within care services, such as reducing single-use plastics and promoting digital communication to minimize paper use. • Facilities such as hydrotherapy pools, sensory gardens, and bereavement services are universally accessible. • Bereavement support includes traumatic death such as suicide. • SSCH voluntarily fundraises to subsidise a significant portion of service costs, enhancing resilience and reach. Award Decision-Makers are: Commissioning, Contracting and Commercial Committee (CCC) - 22 October 2024 Surrey Heartlands ICB Executive Board - October 2024 Conflicts of Interest: All Decision-Making Forums requested that Conflicts of Interest be declared in order to accommodate mitigations that may be required. No declarations were raised. Individuals working on the programme declared no interests for the duration.

• Shooting Star Children's Hospices (SSCH)Awarded supplierGB-CHC: 1042495 Old Portsmouth Road, Artington, Guildford, South East, GU3 1LP

No document links were published on the notice.