Prior Information Notice: Community Services - Care Closer to Home (on behalf of NHS Newcastle Gateshead Clinical Commissioning Group)

NHS Newcastle Gateshead Clinical Commissioning Group (NGCCG) is inviting Expressions of Interest for its “Care Closer to Home” requirement in Gateshead. NGCCG are seeking to arrange local community services in a different, more streamlined way to ensure delivery of the very highest quality of care. In line with their shared plans for integrated services, NGCCG see core community services as providing smooth transition for patients to & from hospital care during more acute phases of illness. By integrating care pathways, patients will have better access to the right care, close to home, from the most appropriately skilled professional at the time of need.This whole system approach (known as Care Closer to Home) will see patients at the centre of care planning, commissioning, delivery & support, resulting in a greater focus on ill-health prevention, delivering proactive & responsive care when it is needed and helping to maintain patients’ independence for as long as possible. NGCCG has agreed a new framework for developing Care Closer to Home, and includes ongoing work to agree the full range of community services to be included to ensure sustainable integration of health & social care, making best use of NHS resources & improving patient experience. NGCCG is seeking to procure a service provider via a "Competitive Dialogue" process, due to the requirement's complexity & scale. This process will enable service specification options to be explored with potential providers who are successful at the 1st stage of the process. Formal publication of the tender for this opportunity is anticipated during w/c 29th June 2015, following which NGCCG intend to host a Bidder Event on 2nd July 2015 at The Lancastrian Conference & Banqueting Centre, Lancaster Road, Dunston, Gateshead NE11 9JR, from 10:30am-12:30pm. The purpose of this event will be to provide further clarification of the service requirement and the procurement process.Please note organisations who register an expression of interest will be advised of arrangements for the event once confirmed by NGCCG. North of England Commissioning Support (NECS) is managing the process for and on behalf of NGCCG via the NECS E-Tendering Portal (hosted by In-Tend). To register your interest in this service, please register on the NECS E-Tendering Portal (https://in-tendhost.co.uk/necs). It is free to register, and the portal is accessible at any time of the day. To view further information on the opportunity, click the button marked “View Details”. From this area, you can then express your interest by selecting the button marked “Express Interest”. Please note that at this stage, potential providers cannot access any documentation until the publication of the tender. The intention of this notice is to inform organisations of the Bidder Event & to express an interest in the service. Please also note that existing similar services in operation in the Newcastle-upon-Tyne area are not affected by NGCCG's requirements.

Additional information: PLEASE NOTE - Should you have any queries or experience any problems with accessing or utilising the e-tendering portal, please contact the In-Tend Helpdesk by calling 0844 2728810 (Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm) or email support@in-tend.co.uk. Alternatively, a help guide can be found on the portal by clicking on the tab marked “Guidance for Suppliers”.