Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
NHS England
Premier House, 60 Caversham Road
Reading
RG1 7EB
Contact
Nicola Hayward
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UKJ11 - Berkshire
Justification for not providing organisation identifier
Not on any register
Internet address(es)
Main address
Buyer's address
https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome
one.2) Information about joint procurement
The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body
one.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at
https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
Health
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
NHS England South East - Diabetic Eye Screening Programmes for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Kent and Medway, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Surrey
Reference number
C251304
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 85100000 - Health services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
NHS England South East (NHSE SE) are planning for the re-commissioning of Diabetic Eye Screening Programmes for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Kent and Medway, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Surrey
This notice is placed as a Prior Information Notice in order to facilitate a virtual market briefing event.
NHSE invites suitably qualified and experienced providers to express their interest in attending a virtual market briefing event which is currently expected to be held on Thursday 20th March 2024. This is intended to build on the market engagement activities conducted through February 2024
The event will include the commissioning vision, an overview of the services and the procurement timeline.
The following geographies are likely to be in scope; however, the lotting is still to be determined.
• Hampshire and Isle of Wight (inc. Southampton and Portsmouth)
• Kent and Medway
• Berkshire (inc. West Berkshire, Reading, Wokingham, Bracknell, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Slough)
• Buckinghamshire
• Oxfordshire
• Surrey
The Contracts are planned to commence from 1st April 2025.
If you are interested in attending the virtual market briefing event, please express an interest via Atamis. Please send a message via the portal with the names of the personnel who are likely to attend the market briefing event. Further details in relation to registering on Atamis can be found at the end of this notice.
This exercise is being managed by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioner(s).
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKK - South West (England)
Main site or place of performance
South West
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
NHS England South East (the Commissioner) seeks to determine the level of interest in delivering Diabetic Eye Screening Programmes (DESP) to eligible populations within the below populations.
The following geographies are likely to be in scope; however, the lotting is still to be determined.
• Hampshire and Isle of Wight (inc. Southampton and Portsmouth)
• Kent and Medway
• Berkshire (inc. West Berkshire, Reading, Wokingham, Bracknell, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Slough)
• Buckinghamshire
• Oxfordshire
• Surrey
The eligible population includes patients over the age of 12 diagnosed with diabetes and registered with, or eligible to be registered with a GP, as well as individuals within prisons, secure units and the armed forces.
The aim of the DESP is to reduce the risk of sight loss amongst people with diabetes by the prompt identification and effective treatment, if necessary, of sight threatening diabetic retinopathy.
This will be achieved by delivering an evidence-based service that:
• Identifies the eligible population and ensures effective delivery with maximum coverage
• Is safe, effective, high quality, externally and independently monitored, and quality assured
• Leads to earlier detection, appropriate referral, effective treatment and improved outcomes
• Is delivered and supported by suitably trained, competent and qualified clinical and non-clinical staff who, where relevant, participate in recognised ongoing continuing medical education (CME), continuous professional development (CPD) and quality assurance (QA) schemes
• Has audit embedded in the service
• Works effectively with other stakeholders to ensure the care pathway is smooth and efficient.
There are three key elements of service delivery, namely:
• Call/recall for all people with diabetes invited for routine digital screening - from 2025 and 2026 all eligible patients should be managed on 12 or 24 month intervals for routine diabetic eye screening.
• Digital surveillance where more frequent screening of those individuals who may be at increased risk of developing diabetic retinopathy but have not reached the threshold to be referred into the Hospital Eye Services (HES), as required.
• Slit lamp bio-microscopy (SLB) for those individuals where normal photography is inappropriate (e.g. those having cataracts).
It is also anticipated that Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) will be introduced into the programme across England in line with national guidance.
Further information on the DESP is available at;
https://www.gov.uk/topic/population-screening-programmes/diabetic-eye
The contracts are due to commence on 1 April 2025.
The current estimated annual contract values based on 2023/2024 prices and respective estimated eligible population figures, are provided below for indicative purposes:
• Hampshire and Isle of Wight £2,280,709; population 85,575
• Portsmouth and South East Hampshire £1,169,887; population 42,853
• Kent and Medway £3,410,755; population 124,123
• Berkshire £1,851,417; population 59,505
• Buckinghamshire £844,742; population 32,978
• Oxfordshire £959,232; population 36,276
• Surrey £1,624,630; population 52,566
The final financial envelopes (at contract advert stage) will take account of any change as a result of forthcoming pathway changes, the financial mechanism adopted for these contracts and the finance and business rules in the NHS Operating Framework. The contract values could also reduce during the contract term owing to the anticipated national changes to screening intervals for low risk individuals.
TUPE is likely to apply to all or part of the services/programmes being recommissioned.
This exercise is being carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioner.
two.2.14) Additional information
This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intended approach notice and subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this notice.
two.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice
3 April 2024
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
Section six. Complementary information
six.3) Additional information
The virtual market briefing event is likely to be held on Wednesday 20th March 2024 1:00 - 2:00pm.
Further details of the event, including an MS Teams link and agenda, will be shared once the PIN has closed, to those providers who have registered their interest via the e-procurement system (Atamis).
If you are interested in attending, please express an interest via Atamis by close of business on Friday 15th March 2024. Please send a message via the procurement portal with the names of the delegates who are likely to attend the market briefing event.
If you are not already registered on the system you will need to do so before you can fully access the opportunity. On registration, please include at least two contacts to allow for access to the system in times of absence.
You will first need to register by following the link below and selecting 'Register here'.
Once registered, you will be able to search for the 'NHS England South East - Diabetic Eye Screening Programmes' opportunity and obtain access.
This notice is an information gathering exercise rather than a call for competition in its own right, and therefore publication or response does not commit NHSE South East or respondents to a future procurement, nor provide any process exemptions or preferential treatment to any parties expressing an interest.
Commissioners will not be liable for costs incurred by any interested party in participating in this exercise. Interested parties should note that a response to this notice does not guarantee an automatic invitation to any subsequent formal procurement, which the commissioners will consider in due course.
This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intended approach notice and subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this notice.
This exercise is being carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioner.