ITQ - National patient helpdesk research, scoping and requirements development

The Authority is looking for a Supplier for the provision of research to validate and establish; set-up, delivery and sustainable funding options for a future national patient helpdesk for video consultation. The helpdesk delivery itself is not subject to this procurement.

The National Improvement Directorate has been working in conjunction with NHS England and NHS Improvement regional teams and NHSX supporting the adoption and sustained use of video consultations in secondary care settings to improve the quality of patient care. This project was expected to be delivered at scale over four years as part of the National Outpatient Transformation Programme (NOTP). As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic the use of video technology in NHS secondary care to undertake patient consultations has grown significantly across a wide range of services including acute outpatients, urgent and emergency care, mental health and community services.

During this time trusts and systems quickly adapted to delivering more blended models of patient care through a range of face-to-face consultation and remote consultation, including video consultation (VC), telephone consultation (TC) and online consultation. As the NHS recovers from this unprecedented period many trusts and systems intend to sustain this blended approach and incorporate remote consultations into business as usual.

To support the sustained and expanding use of video consulting in secondary care, the Technology Enabled Improvement (TEI) team within the NOTP is prioritising initiatives designed to drive both service user and healthcare professional uptake and reduce health inequalities which may emerge as a result of video consulting technology.

Interested suppliers should register on the NHS England & Improvement e-procurement system here: https://health-family.force.com/login

• Once logged in click 'Find Opportunities' and search for 'ITQ - National patient helpdesk research, scoping and requirements development'
• Click 'Register Interest'
• Once you have registered your interest you will be able to view the Requirements and submit a response to the ITQ within the portal.
• Any messages about the opportunity should be sent via the e-procurement system. You can do this by going to the home page and:
• oClick on 'My proposals & Quotes'
• oClick the relevant Project Title
• oClick 'Messages' & 'New Message'