Lung Cancer Screening - DAP C

The lung cancer screening service is currently delivered by GP Primary Choice (GPPC). They are commissioned across North East Essex and Suffolk, but sub-contract the Suffolk activity to the Suffolk GP federation.

This contract was passed to Essex ICB from Suffolk and North East Essex ICB as part of the ICB reorganisations in April 2026. GPPC have delivered the contract since the start of the Lung Cancer Screening Programme in Suffolk and North East Essex.

This contract is only focussed on the lung health check component and is not an end-to-end service. After the lung health checks are completed, GPPC refer appropriate patients to ESNEFT for their low dose CT scan.

The model is built on strong relationships across including integration with primary care and acute services. GPPC lead a culture of partnership working across partners and have a great understanding the population of the local population demographics, patients’ needs and are part of primary care and neighbourhood development across North East Essex.

No concerns have been raised regarding quality of the service and GPPC have been on track with their activity plans for 25/26 and continue to be on track year to date for 26/27. Quality Audit.

The provider is a progressive and responsive organisation with good mix of staff and experience. They are currently delivering several other projects in relation to cancer across North East Essex and there are no concerns raised.

They have estates embedded within the community and are working closely with the ICB lung cancer programme manager. The provider has a good link and relationships with primary care.

There are always patients who are aging into the eligibility criteria and they have good systems in place with GP practices to ensure that they can get the details of patients who are aging in so they can then access the screening programme. The contract is a cost and volume contract with GPPC paid £41.80 per lung health check carried out and the trajectory for 26/27 is 25,709 health checks.

GPPC are also paid to provide a clinical director across Ipswich and North East Essex at £22,260 for 1 PA per week. This means the annual contract value is £1,096,896.

This is funded by the cancer alliance and not from the ICB budget. The new contract will commence 1st September 2026 and conclude on 31st March 2028.

The provider is an existing provider, who is currently satisfying the requirements of the existing contract. The provider has been assessed against the criteria specified for this DAP C process: Quality & Innovation 30%.

Value 20%. Integration, Collaboration & Service Sustainability 25%, Access Health Inequalities and Choice 20%; Social Value 5%.

Key criteria were specified, and assessment against each criterion was assessed based on the current service delivery model and performance. and the supplier meets all the requirements specified to the satisfaction of the ICB, and it is expected that they will satisfy the requirements of the new contract. The considerable change test has been completed and the unit price has not changed and the activity growth is within typical patient growth.