NHS England South (South Central) - Violent Patient Scheme Services

This notice is placed as a Prior Information Notice with regards to Violent Patient Scheme (VPS) services for delegated Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in the South Central region. Existing practices are currently being invited to provide the services via an Enhanced Service (ES).

For each area below, which does not receive an appropriate expression of interest or where no suitable provider is found under the terms of this Enhanced Service, the VPS services are likely to be procured. This notice is therefore to determine whether there is interest from providers in this service.

Publication or response to this PIN does not commit NHS England or respondents to a future procurement. NHS England, is supporting delegated CCGs, to co-ordinate the procurement of a new VPS service which is more aligned with similar services available elsewhere in the country.

VPS is a service to provide general medical services to patients who meet the criteria for inclusion into the scheme and cannot be used for any other circumstance. This scheme allows the Commissioner to balance the rights of patients to access general medical services with the need to ensure that GPs, their staff, patients and bystanders deliver and receive those services without the threat or occurrence of violence or who might otherwise have reasonable fears for their safety.

The service will be commissioned through an AMPS Contract offered in distinct geographical Lots, with the corresponding annual contract values. (Lots are subject to change dependent on DES take up as outlined above).

However, it is assumed that the activity will increase, although the amount is unknown. The provider is required to deliver a consistent, accessible, high quality, safe, effective healthcare service and dedicated administration for patients.

The Provider is expected, in line with core GP contract requirements to provide access to patients between 8:00am-6.30pm Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays. Appointments during the Seven Day Access Service may also be considered.

The service will provide face-to-face consultations, and telephone consultations during the operating hours above. The contract duration is likely to be 3 years + an option to extend for up to a further 2 years (one plus one), with a provisional contract start date of 01 July 2018.

Bidders will be able to bid for more than one Lot. The procurement will be carried out by NHS South, Central & West Commissioning Support Unit on behalf of the Commissioner .

The provisional advert date is early November 2017, with bidders receiving approximately 5-6 weeks to submit a bid. The process will be carried out using In-Tend.

Additional information: 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 NHS England or respondents to a future procurement, nor provide any process exemptions or preferential treatment to any parties expressing an interest. NHS England will not be liable for costs incurred by any interested party in participating in this exercise.

If you are interested in forthcoming tender opportunities, please register on the eProcurement system, In-Tend: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/scwcsu/aspx/Home On registration include at least two contacts to allow for access to the portal in times of absence. The Services are healthcare services within the meaning and scope of Annex XIV of Directive 2014/24/EU ("the Directive") and Schedule 3 to the Public Contract Regulations 2015 ("the Regulations").

The tendering process will be conducted in accordance with the requirements and flexibilities provided by Articles 74 to 76 of the Directive, and Regulations 74 to 76 of the Regulations. The Authority will run a transparent tender process, treating all bidders equally.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Authority will not be bound by the Regulations or the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union or any other regulations or legislation except for the specific parts or circumstances that apply to the procurement of these Services. Neither the inclusion of a bidder selection stage, nor the use of any language or terms found in the Directive or Regulations, nor the description of the procedure voluntarily adopted by the Authority ("Open", "Restricted", "Competitive Procedure with Negotiation", "Competitive Dialogue" or any other description), nor any other indication, shall be taken to mean that the Authority intends to hold itself bound by the Directive or Regulations, save by the provisions applicable to services coming within the scope of Annex XIV of the Directive / Schedule 3 of the Regulations. 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).