Integrated Core Systems (ICS)

North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust ("the Trust") is preparing to undertake a procurement for a single Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system supporting 999, 111 and Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services (NEPTS), together with an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) solution for frontline clinicians and clinicians treating patients remotely. The EPR may be provided either as a fully integrated element of the CAD system or as a separate, interoperable solution.

The scale and scope of this requirement represent a significant opportunity for the health systems market to contribute to the unification of emergency care services within a coherent framework, supporting operational efficiency and improved patient outcomes. Before initiating any procurement, the Trust intends to engage with the market to discuss a range of key topics, including those criteria considered critical to the success of any future procurement.

The Trust is conducting preliminary market engagement to

• Test the feasibility of requirements
• Understand delivery models
• Understand record management and privacy monitoring capabilities
• Refine our procurement strategy
• Refine cost estimates and timelines
• Develop our specification
• Inform our outline business case

Purpose

A unified, resilient CAD and EPR platform that manages the full patient and incident lifecycle from call intake through each care scenario including hear and treat, dispatch, see and treat and see and convey, clinical handover and post event reporting while meeting NHS security, information governance and availability expectations. The joint solution must minimise duplication, improve clinical safety, and provide real time information flow between control room operations and all care scenarios and locations.

What we are (likely) procuring

• A computer aided dispatch and patient care record solution which can support all three service lines (999, 111, NEPTS)
• Implementation and migration services
• Training and change support
• Interoperability/integration capability (APIs, messaging, etc.)
• Ongoing support/managed service options (if applicable)

Indicative Contract Dates

• Contract Award: October 2027
• Contract Start Date (start of implementation period): November 2027
• Contract Go Live (following implementation): June 2029
• End of initial 7 year contract term: June 2036
• End of maximum 10 year contract life: June 2039
• Contract length will be 7+1+1+1 (maximum 10 years) following Contract Go Live.