The Provision of Digital Technologies for Clinical Management of Lower Back Pain

Sussex Community NHS foundation Trust (the Trust) is seeking to run a further competition under the Crown Commercial Service RM6200 Artificial Intelligence DPS.

The Trust is seeking a provider to enable the Trust to utilise digital technologies for the clinical management of low back pain and enable the Trust to deliver population health scale interventions.

The provider must be able to provide a complete pathway for eligible patients, including triage, assessment, risk stratification and appropriate treatment intervention with signposting, onward referral or return to traditional pathway for any ineligible, red flag or patients who opt out during the process.

The provider will be responsible for the management of the eligible caseload with delivery overseen by clinical staff who can contact patients should they require non-digital intervention (e.g. urgent medical advice). As such it is expected the provider is a healthcare provider with appropriate CQC registration.

Digital delivery is expected to provide a cost saving in comparison to traditional in person delivery with delivery through a variety of platforms including app based and web based delivery and compatibility with mobile, tablet and computer use.

Treatment plans should be personalised and allow patients track process. Treatment plans should adapt, preferably in real time, based on patient feedback and evaluation. Delivery of intervention should be through video or live stream and not reliant on text information.

The provider should accept self or clinical referral within the guidance of predetermined referral criteria and provide a true alternative to standard in person care, providing clinical and patient reported outcomes to the Trust to demonstrate effectiveness.

The Trust is looking for a provider that will work with the Trust to codevelop risk stratification and algorithms and integrate into the wider MSK pathway to provide a seamless experience for patients.

The solution needs to be scalable to deliver at population level.