Provision of Diabetic Eye Screening Programme in Plymouth

NHS England South (South West) (the Commissioner) seeks to commission a Diabetic Eye Screening Programme service (DESP) for patients registered with GP’s in: The western locality of New Devon CCG including Plymouth, Lifton, Ivybridge, Tavistock, Kingsbridge, Salcombe, Yealmpton, Modbury, Yelverton; South East Cornwall within Kernow CCG including Liskeard, Saltash, Torpoint & Callington (maternity patients only). The eligible population includes those within the armed forces and HMP Dartmoor.

This procurement is being carried out by NHS South, Central & West Commissioning Support Unit (SCWCSU) on behalf of the Commissioners.

Diabetic Retinopathy is one of the most common causes of sight loss among people of working age and therefore the aim of the DESP is to reduce the risk of sight loss amongst people diagnosed with diabetes through the prompt detection of any issues leading to more timely treatment and management; potentially before any noticeable symptoms or changes to vision are experienced.

The Commissioner is looking for a provider to deliver a high quality screening service across the identified geography. The service being procured is made up of the following elements in line with national programme requirements:

Annual retinopathy along with call/recall for all people with diabetes invited for routine digital screening, Digital surveillance where individuals need more frequent screening and Slit lamp biomicroscopy (SLB) for those individuals where normal photography is inappropriate e.g. suffering from cataracts. The service will: be evidence based; robustly identify the eligible population; ensure accessibility to facilitate effective delivery with maximum coverage; actively follow up those least likely to access the service; undertake screening in venues ensuring that services are accessible to the eligible population; undertake screening of eligible populations in the forces and HMP Dartmoor; be safe, effective and of a high quality; be externally and independently monitored, and quality assured; lead to earlier detection, appropriate referral, effective treatment and improved outcomes; be delivered and supported by suitably trained, competent and qualified clinical and non-clinical staff who, where relevant, participate in recognised on-going CME, Continuous Professional Development (CPD), and Quality Assurance (QA) schemes; have audit embedded in the service; plan for and introduce any changes to the national programme in partnership with the Commissioner and Public Health England.

The Commissioners seeks bids from suitably qualified and experienced providers (including third sector and social enterprise organisations, private and NHS) to provide this service and understand the impact of any potential changes to the screening frequency this is an interim contract for a period of 2 years from 1st April 2017

Additional information: Interested providers will be able to view the tender opportunity via the 'current tenders' list on in-tend. https://in-tendhost.co.uk/scwcsu/aspx/Home

In order to access the tender documentation providers will need to 'express an interest' and register on the system. Bidders are required to respond to Organisational & ITN (Stage 1) questions directly within In-Tend and attach any requested documents separately to the placeholders provided.

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).