Last Phase of Life Service

The service delivers essential capacity to the local Last Phase of Life Care Pathway currently under development. The interim contract will ensure continuity of essential service provision of Last Phase of Life Care Support Service, whilst a new integrated model of care is developed during the contract period. This notice refers to a Direct Award of an interim contract to 3 incumbent service providers to ensure continuity of essential health services to the local population whilst a new integrated care model is developed during 2018/19 ready for procurement in 2019/20 and therefore the CCG has assessed that the incumbent providers are the only capable providers at this time taking into account the significantly challenging budget that they work within. A 1 year contract has been awarded, commencing 1st April 2018, with the option retained for up to a further 1 year extension at the CCG's discretion. The End of Life Care in Brent to be provided by 3 hospices will deliver essential local services through integrated working with the main local NHS provider, Pembridge Specialist Palliative Care Service. This makes for complex patient pathways and complex funding, coordination and communication, as well as providing a challenge to the task of driving through and measuring improvements. In March 2017, the CCG's Executive Committee approved the End of Life Model of Care and Strategy and the accompanying Delivery Plan. The objective for the Brent End of Life Model of Care and Strategy is to ensure the delivery of significant improvement in end of life care whilst simultaneously ensuring the maximisation of outcomes for the level of investment within the challenging budget available. The new model of care to be established will ensure integrated pathways in regard to physical health, social care and mental health, enhanced with voluntary sector involvement to deliver holistic patient care. The current interim contracts awarded are necessary to enable NHS Brent CCG to develop, pilot and validate its specified service requirements. The CCG plans to engage with the market during 2018 to assist development of its future specification of requirements, with the intention of informing the process to award a substantive contract to deliver the new model of care from 2019. Market engagement will commence March 2018.