Breathing Space Service in Northamptonshire

Approximately 15,600 people are diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in Northamptonshire, representing roughly 1.9% of the county's population, with figures aligning closely with the national average of 1.9%. While most diagnosed cases are mild-to-moderate, a sizeable portion likely remains undiagnosed with many individuals yet to have a formal diagnosis.

Of the patients diagnosed with COPD circa 86% have mild or moderate COPD, with approximately 14% having severe or very severe disease. Circa 14-20% of the local population are smokers and smoking prevalence in North Northamptonshire (16.6%) is a significant driver of risk.

Despite having a similar prevalence to the national average, the rate of emergency hospital attendances for COPD in Northamptonshire is significantly higher. Research indicates higher rates of emergency admissions for respiratory conditions in specific areas, including parts of Northampton and Corby.

The Breathing Space is for people aged 18 years and over although COPD is primarily considered a condition of middle-aged and older people, with most diagnoses occurring in people over 50. The service is offered at multiple community sites across the system through an integrated model approach between health, voluntary and social care.

This approach empowers individuals and carers to manage their COPD and so reduce primary care attendances and referrals to secondary care, A&E attendances and emergency admissions. It is intended that a contract will be awarded for 1 year (13th April 2026 to 31st March 2027) with the option to extend for a further 12 months in accordance with the Direct Award Process C (DAP C) of the Providers Selection Regime (PSR) (2023).

The anticipated annual value of the contract is £229,478 The key criteria used to assess the provider were the following: •quality and innovation •value •integration, collaboration and service sustainability •improving access and reducing health inequalities •social value An assessment of suitability has been completed and NICB are assured that the current providers are satisfying the existing contract and will likely satisfy the proposed contract to a sufficient standard and meet the key criteria above. Declarations and conflicts of interest were assessed, and none were identified. Additional information: Please note the reference number in Section IV.2.1 of this notice is a generic code to support publication of the notice.