Request for Information - Electrocardiogram (ECG) and Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) service for NHS Croydon Clinical Commissioning Group

NHS Croydon Clinical Commissioning Group (Croydon CCG) is engaging on proposals to procure a community-based ECG and ABPM service.It is anticipated that the contract would be for an initial period of 3 years with the option to extend for 2 further years.

This draft service specification requires the delivery of the following tests for Croydon CCG's GP-registered patient population, where they are requested directly by Croydon's general practices:

1. Resting 12 lead electrocardiogram ('12-lead ECG')
2. Ambulatory electrocardiogram - 24 hour and continuous ('Ambulatory ECG')
3. Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring ('ABPM')

This draft service specification sets out to:

• Specify an expert diagnostic service, delivering ECG and ABPM investigations and the reporting and interpretation of these tests, where they are directly requested by Croydon general practices.
• Ensure that the provision of the ECG and ABPM tests are conducted consistently and effectively through a set of agreed core standards, performance indicators and reporting arrangements.
• Specify the broad model the CCG would want the provider/s to deliver

The service must provide Croydon GPs with sufficient capacity to deliver all 12-lead ECGs, ambulatory ECGs and ABPM requested by them, delivered in community settings (ideally primary care settings) brining care closer to patient's homes.

The required service provision to deliver the tests (12-lead ECG, Ambulatory ECG and ABPM) involves three distinct but interlocking 'elements' that must be delivered:

1. 'Patient delivery': Managing patients appointments and responsible for setting up devices and removing them from the patient. General practices will then utilise the results to form a clinical diagnosis after receipt of interpretative reports.
2. 'Equipment': Providing equipment, training, consumables and appropriate support in the use of these.
3. 'Interpretation': Providing interpretation of the test results and associated written diagnostic reports.

Before deciding whether to commence a procurement process, the CCG wishes to undertake market sounding on this proposed model and therefore would welcome the views of providers on the questions set out in the draft attached specification and questionnaire document.

Additional information: Responses should be submitted to Greg Reide greg_reide@nhs.net by 5pm on 8th March 2017.

Interested parties will not be prejudiced by any response or failure to respond to this soft market testing/sounding exercise and a response to this notice does not guarantee any invitation to participate in any future public procurement process that the Commissioning Authority may conduct.

This notice does not constitute a call for competition to procure any services for the Commissioning

Authority and the Commissioning Authority is not bound to accept any proposals offered. The Commissioning Authority is not liable for any costs, fees or expenses incurred by any party participating in the soft market testing/sounding exercise. Any procurement of any services by the Commissioning Authority in due course will be carried out strictly in accordance with the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

Any responses provided will not be treated as commercially confidential and may be used by the

Commissioning Authority in the final service specifications used for the contracts but no organisation will be individually identified.