Audiology- Hearing Loss Service Adults 55+ for Telford & Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Group

Midlands and Lancashire CSU on behalf of Telford & Wrekin CCG

The Commissioner is seeking suitably qualified providers to deliver a Mild to Moderate (20-70db) Hearing Loss Service for Adults Aged 55 and Over.

This service is being commissioned using the Any Qualified Provider process.

The qualification period for the AQP accreditation will be for 3 years from the 1st April 2016.

Aims and objectives of service

The aim is to provide a comprehensive patient-centred direct access adult hearing service for age related hearing loss for adults aged 55 and above in line with national guidance and local requirements.

Key principles of the Service, within which the Adult Hearing Service will operate, are to:

•Contribute to improving the health and occupational health focus on hearing loss

•Contribute to reducing prevalence of avoidable permanent hearing loss

•Encourage early identification, diagnosis and management of hearing loss through improved patient and professional education •Provide person-centred care and respond to information and psychosocial needs

•Support communication needs by providing timely signposting to lip reading classes, assistive technologies and other rehabilitation services beneficial to the patient •Promote inclusion and participation of people who are deaf or hard of hearing

•Improved quality of life for service users, their families/carers and communication partner(s)

Expected outcomes of the service:

•Increased patient choice and control as to where and when their treatment is delivered – providing on-going care closer to home •Timely access to hearing assessment, fitting and follow-up

•Personalised care for all service users accessing the service

•Reduced social isolation and consequent mental ill health (including depression and onset of dementia)

Service Description

The Service will deliver a community based, adult hearing assessment service, including hearing aid fitting (where required), follow-up and aftercare services for adults aged 55 or over, with suspected or diagnosed age related hearing loss (20db-70db) who have been referred by their GP.

The Service will consist of:

•Hearing needs assessment (on an outpatient or domiciliary basis)

•Development of an Individual Management Plan (IMP)

•Provision and fitting of hearing aids in a suitable environment (quiet, confidential, ensuring privacy and dignity); •Follow-up appointment to assess whether needs have been met

•Discharge from hearing assessment and fitting pathway

•Aftercare including advice, reassessment, maintenance, repairs or replacement of hearing aids and review as required •Batteries, tips, domes, wax filters, tubing and other consumables replacement service

•Help and support to the housebound

•Appropriate hearing rehabilitation to include patient education, lip reading etc

•Information on, and signposting to any relevant communication/social support services, including assistive technologies advice

Additional information: The service will provide care for those with average hearing loss between 20-70dBHL based on the audiometric descriptors by the BSA

In securing services under the AQP process, assurance of competence, quality and safety standards will be required. Any provider will be eligible to join the qualified provider list subject to demonstrating competency against specified criteria.

The Commissioner wishes to receive responses to the AQP questionnaire from suitably qualified and experienced Audiology providers with the necessary capacity and capability (or a demonstrable ability to provide the necessary capacity and capability) to provide the range of required services.

The Commissioner requires the Provider/s to meet the following critical success factors throughout the life of the Contract:

•To ensure the Service is legally compliant.

•To ensure best practice Service provision.

•To ensure capacity matches the demand and service specification requirements at all times.

•To ensure the requirements of the service specification are met at all times.

•To ensure the Service is accessible to all Service Users and potential Service Users regardless of their equality and diversity requirements.

•To ensure that the Service offers value for money and is affordable.

The successful provider(s) shall be expected to sign the standard NHS Standard Contract, accepting all Terms and Conditions. The NHS Standard Contract is subject to change in the future. Any revised future NHS Standard Contract which is put in force shall apply at the relevant time. It should be noted that under the Any Qualified Provider model, there shall be no guarantees of volume or payment in the contracts awarded. Payment is made based on actual provision. The Tariff payment information is detailed in Annex 5 on the Bravo portal. Project _400 pqq_398.

The precise details of the key performance indicators and minimum dataset shall be agreed with the successful Provider/s, prior to contract award and signature.

Performance management shall be in compliance with the prevailing NHS Standard Contract.

Please confirm that you have accessed and you accept the Tariff Prices as outlined in Project_400 pqq-398 Annex 5. Please note that the Tariff Price is fixed for the duration of the contract, and no price variation shall be permitted at any stage, following contract award. The tariff is inclusive of CQUIN and VAT.

• i)Register on the portal at https://mlcsu.bravosolution.co.uk (registration and use of the website is free of charge).

ii)Once registered, express interest by:

• a)logging-in to theCSU eTendering portal,

b)selecting response to advert and PQQ,

• c)select Open Access PQQ,
• d)search for and access PQQ Audiology- Adult Hearing Loss service AQP and view details,
• e)click on Express Interest link.
• iii)Once you have expressed interest, access the My PQQs page where you can download documentation & construct your reply as instructed.