Care Home Training Pathway (Pharmacy) - Health Education England - Market Engagement and Request for Information (RFI) - NHS/SoEPS/16.317

HEE, in partnership with NHS England, through the Pharmacy Integration Fund (PhIF) has a requirement to procure training/workforce development for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians working in care home settings. This is an initial 2-year contract with a maximum value of £4,050,000. These figures include VAT. There is potential for a further extension of two years, following review, and efficiencies for following years will be expected. Please note payment will be related to Financial Years.

HEE has been asked to commission a pharmacy workforce training pathway across England that enables a holistic approach in the delivery of care for residents, patients and users of care homes and their relatives. The pathway is aligned to NHS England's Enhanced Health in Care Homes (EHCH) programme. The EHCH programme lays out a clear vision for providing joined up primary, community and secondary, social care to residents of care and nursing homes, via a range of in reach services.

Upskilling the pharmacy workforce is seen as essential to workforce transformation and enabling the expansion of the multidisciplinary primary care team, utilising pharmacy's contribution to locally led and integrated care as described by the NHS Five Year Forward View. The pharmacy profession are the experts in medicines use and optimisation, and their skills need to be much more available to patients. This is particularly true for patients with long term conditions who may be taking many medicines and where there is evidence that outcomes are not always as good as they could be.

Bid evaluation will include quality criteria that reflects HEE Quality Standards. Following this procurement, training for up to 300 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians per year will be available through local offices for individuals on the Care Home Pathway working. NHS England will provide a central recruitment function for this programme, which will be supported by training/workforce development packages. The providers and participating pharmacists are expected to have an active participation in the programme of evaluation coordinated by NHS England's research and evaluation team.

A Care Home Training Pathway Market Engagement Event will be held on:

Wednesday 2 August 2017 from 09:30 to 13:00 at HEE, The Auditorium, 2nd Floor Stewart House, 32 Russell Square, WC1B 5DN.

This will provide an opportunity for potential providers to find out more about the aims of the tender and contracts, the process involved as well as network with others. HEE will use the opportunity to gather intelligence from providers which may influence the final tender. Please find RSVP information below within "Further Information" section of advert.

The Commissioner is also seeking information from potential providers in the form of a Request For Information. Please access the RFI via In-Tend for the documentation: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/soepscommissioning

Additional information: A Care Home Training Pathway Market Engagement Event will be held on:

Wednesday 2 August 2017 from 09:30 to 13:00 at HEE, The Auditorium, 2nd Floor Stewart House, 32 Russell Square, WC1B 5DN.

This will provide an opportunity for potential providers to find out more about the aims of the tender and contracts, the process involved as well as network with others. HEE will use the opportunity to gather intelligence from providers which may influence the final tender.

Please RSVP by Tuesday 25th of July 2017 with the name, title, email address and telephone number for attendees (a maximum of two attendees per organisation) to:

HEE.pharmreforms@hee.nhs.uk

The Commissioner is also seeking information from potential providers in the form of a Request For Information (RFI). Please access the RFI via In-Tend for the documentation: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/soepscommissioning

The commissioner reserves the right not to proceed with the Procurement, or any part thereof, or change the requirements and timescales as necessary at any time.

It is the intention of the commissioner that the procurement will be conducted as on OJEU Service Contract using an Open Procedure under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. The ITT is expected to be published in September 2017 with delivery of care home training to commence from January 2018.

A separate advert will be released advising when the procurement is live for submissions.