The provision of an Integrated Urgent Care Service to NHS Devon Clinical Commissioning Group

NHS Devon CCG (the Commissioner) has awarded a contract for the provision of an Integrated Urgent Care Service (IUCS) for Devon. The contract is for the provision of: • 111 call handling services (NHS 111) • Clinical Assessment of 111 calls through the Clinical Assessment Service (CAS) • Out of Hours GP provision (OOH) The NHS Long Term Plan clearly set out the need to act in redesigning the NHS urgent care 'access point', moving towards a "consult and complete" model. NHS 111 provides a vital service to help people with urgent care needs to get assessment, clinical advice, and treatment quickly. The service is significantly enhanced by increasing clinical consultation for patients calling 111, so that more patients get the care and advice they need over the phone, and only those who genuinely need to attend A&E or use the ambulance service are advised to do this. All other patients have their issue resolved over the phone if possible, or if not will be directed to appropriate primary care or community services, with an emphasis on strongly supporting patients in self-care. The core vision for the IUC service in Devon builds upon the success of NHS 111 in simplifying access for patients and increasing the confidence that they, commissioner, health professionals and most importantly the public have in services. The offer is easy access to urgent health care services that is fully integrated with all aspects of the system - through NHS 111. Integration sees urgent care services collaborating to deliver high quality, clinical assessment, advice, and treatment, with shared standards and processes and clear accountability and leadership. The 111 number must become the single telephony access point. The Clinical Assessment Service (CAS) is central to this, offering patients access to clinicians, both experienced generalists and specialists (such as Dental Nurses, Mental Health Nurses and Palliative Care Nurses). These clinicians will also be available to health professional colleagues who work with patients in the community, such as paramedics and nurses in nursing homes. Primary care out of hours and 111 services have been combined, and multidisciplinary clinicians added to the integrated working model. IUC services will book people into urgent face- to-face appointments where needed. This processed was managed by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioner. Additional information: The services are healthcare services falling within Schedule 3 to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 ("the Regulations") which are not subject to the full regime of the Regulations, but is instead governed by the "Light Touch Regime" contained within Chapter 3, Section 7 of the Regulations (Regulations 74 to 77).