Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service NHS/SOEPS/23.922 ME

NHS Sussex ICB (covering the patient population of West Sussex, Brighton & Hove, and East Sussex) are pleased to announce the commissioning of a new term of provision for Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service from April 2025.

The aim of this service is to provide transport for eligible Sussex patients with a medical need, between their places of residence, primary, community, social care and acute settings transporting patients in safe, timely, comfortable and clinically appropriate transport without detriment to their medical condition. There is a need for the NEPTS Provider in the post-COVID pandemic to be able to respond to rapidly changing regional demand patterns to cater for the patient, the Acute Trusts and stakeholder partners.

It Is anticipated that the contract period will be for a period of 10 years with the option to extend for up to a further two years, commencing 1st April 2025. The tender release date is scheduled for June 2023. A standard NHS contract will be used for this service.

The purpose of this advert is to invite the market to an engagement event on 3rd May 2023 for the provision of a NEPTs service by testing key themes from the new service model and provide the ICB with valuable information to ensure that the Service Specification is fit for purpose.

Market engagement event - Wednesday 3rd May 10-11am

An online market engagement Webinar event will be held on Wednesday 3rd May 10 -11am. There will be an opportunity after the event for 1:1 discussion which will be facilitated through Microsoft Teams individual diary invites. Please use the procurement portal correspondence feature to register your attendance and include the following details:

Name of attendee, organisation, email address, telephone number.

Diary invites will be sent out to all attendees in advance of this online event. To book an individual 1:1 session after the Webinar or to request an alternative date, please request this via the portal.

The deadline for receipt of attendee requests is 5pm on Wednesday 26th April.

A further tender advertisement will be issued at the appropriate time. You will not be disadvantaged in any subsequent tender process if you choose not to attend this market engagement event but the Commissioners wish to understand your views on the proposed model, activity and financial envelope.

Additional information: Key Aims and Objectives

The ICB has the following ambitions for the service that it wishes to commission:

• High quality and consistently patient-centred, minimising waiting times, keeping people informed, better integration into treatment and discharge pathways and providing patients with more control.

• A service that can demonstrate flexibility and responsiveness within contract value to meet complex conveyance needs, including bariatric and higher acuity patients.

• A service that demonstrates the ability to provide a flexible and resilient service able to meet changing demands whilst maintaining business continuity at all times.

• The ability to provide innovative and efficient communication channels to patients and a variety of NHS-funded stakeholder sites in the engagement and provision of its service.

• A service capable of completing all transport journeys within the agreed timescales.

• Work with system partners and contribute to the wider Sussex Health Care system.

• Ensure that all patients who meet the eligibility criteria are conveyed safely, with dignity and in comfort to their destination.

• Improvements in data and technology capabilities which allow transport coordination to optimise demand and capacity.

• Provide a consistent standardised delivery of service from a suitable range of vehicles which meet the net zero carbon emissions, staffed by a professional and skilled workforce.