The Provision of Maternity Services from a Free-standing Midwife-led Unit (FMU) in Salford on behalf of NHS Salford Clinical Commissioning Group

NHS Salford CCG is seeking expressions of interest from appropriately qualified providers for the provision of maternity services from a free-standing midwife-led unit (FMU) in Salford.

The service will deliver midwife-led services in line with the service specification and as part of our Maternity Pioneer status. New approaches to service delivery and collaborations between provider organisations will be particularly welcomed.

The service will be have a public health ethos and contribute to Salford CCG’s overarching strategic objective to ensure that all children have the best start in life and continue to develop well during their early years.

Pioneer Status

Following the publication of the National Maternity Review in February 2016, Salford CCG along with Bolton and Wigan CCGs were identified as one of seven national maternity pioneers. The Salford FMU plays an important role in the plans for the Pioneer in potentially widening the choice offer for women across the three CCGs. It is currently the only FMU planned in Greater Manchester which provides scope to further extend the choice offer. It also provides the opportunity for the provider(s) to be at the forefront of innovative ways of working that will inform and change the future shape of maternity provision including new ways of payment / incentive to encourage the choice of a midwife- led birth.

The plans also include the FMU becoming a community resource featuring ante and post-natal groups and a range of other services that are synonymous with midwife-led care and the promotion of normalisation of birth. Of particular focus is how the service will be able to support our most vulnerable families and implement the early year’s new delivery model.

Estates and Facilities

Salford currently has an FMU based at Salford Royal Hospital but this will not be the location of the new service. Whilst providers are encouraged to offer views on possible locations, the CCG in partnership with Salford City Council has potentially secured a location in north Salford which could be offered to providers for use - providing the opportunity for input into the design and layout of the premises.

Expressions of Interest

Expressions of interest from appropriately qualified providers are important to the future direction of this project and will support the CCG to secure the capital funding required for refurbishment of the new FMU site and give the CCG confidence that there are a sufficient number of interested providers if a competitive tender or other process is to be undertaken in the future.

Additional information: Bidders wishing to express an interest should register their interest on the EU Supply Website. To register on EU Supply please log on to the following website: https://nhssbs.eu-supply.com and look for quote/tender reference number 25365. Expressions of interest should be submitted by 16:00 on 28th October 2016. For support registering on EU Supply please contact the e-Tendering help desk on 0800 840 2050 or support@eu-supply.com.