Award of Any Qualified Provider (AQP) procurement for the provision of Primary Care Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Service to NHS Berkshire West Clinical Commissioning Group

The Commissioner, NHS Berkshire West Clinical Commissioning Group (BW CCG), was seeking to commission a primary care musculoskeletal physiotherapy service through an AQP framework. The aim of the service is to provide physiotherapy assessment, treatment, advice and education for our patients with acquired musculoskeletal conditions in a primary care or community setting.

GPs will refer urgent and non-priority patients to the MSK primary care physiotherapy service following a period of conservative management (medication, advice, literature leaflets available on DXS). 'Red Flag' symptoms will be referred urgently to secondary care by GPs. As an AQP, patients will be able to choose from any of the accredited providers on the framework at the point of referral and set rates will apply. As such there is no guaranteed activity under the contract from becoming an approved provider.

Skilled and experienced physiotherapists will provide a timely intervention comprising an initial assessment (to include assessment of the appropriateness of referral), signposting, advice and where appropriate diagnosis, exercise prescription and treatment. Providers will be expected to develop and sustain productive working relationships with other professionals involved in the pathway. This will include close working as part of the Berkshire West MSK Partnership, which is currently developing, and will begin to establish locally agreed condition specific pathways. The Provider needs to work in an integrated and collaborative way with other health and social care providers and professionals and adhere to these locally developed pathways. Providers will be paid according to activity. Providers will not be paid for cancelled appointments and DNAs.

There will be an increased expectation on the provider's ability to triage and stratify care, track and use patient recorded outcome and experience measures, deliver high-quality educational and exercise based regimes and deliver via telephone and video assessment where appropriate.

The contract is for an initial period of 3 years with the option to extend for two further years (at BW CCG's discretion). Providers will need to confirm acceptance of the NHS standard contract and above pricing as part of the application process. The CCG may open additional application windows during this period and providers who have previously been unsuccessful will be able to re-apply.

This procurement has been carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioner(s).

Additional information: 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).