Community Direct Access Imaging Services - North West London CCGs

Six of the North West London Clinical Commissioning Groups (NWL CCGs) - Central London, Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow, and West - are seeking to undertake a market engagement exercise to help inform a potential new contract for community direct access (DA) diagnostic imaging services, to replace the existing contract arrangements, which are due to expire 30th September 2019.

Spend on community activity has shown year on year decreases since 2016/17, averaging 3.7%, and the CCGs expect this continue. The decrease in CCG spends are attributed to a combination of demand management strategies, changes to service delivery (e.g. MSK transformation), and variable referrals across GP practices in NWL. As such, the CCGs are taking proactive measures to continue reductions in demand and costs of providing these services. Part of the market engagement will seek to ascertain the impact on the services should certain imaging modalities be scaled back or removed.

The imaging modalities provided under the current contract include:

*please note there are limited requirements for these services

The CCGs are keen to hear innovative suggestions on how these services may be provided in the future, and would like to invite expressions of interest from suitably experienced and capable providers in the provision of a community DA diagnostic imagining service.

Expressions of interest are welcomed from providers capable of providing the full range of services to all the CCGs for patients across NWL, as well as providers who are only able to provide some of the modalities required and/or only offer services to some of the CCGs.

The CCGs are hoping to hold a Supplier Briefing/Market Engagement event in February. Further details will be provided to organisations submitting a completed Market Engagement questionnaire.

To express your interest and receive further information about the Market Engagement event you are invited to complete the attached Market Engagement Questionnaire and return this by 12 noon, Thursday 21st February 2019. Please email your completed response to roger.dennis1@nhs.net inserting within the email subject field "Market Engagement Response - Community Diagnostic Imaging Services".

Additional information: Whilst there is no obligation to participate through this engagement exercise, a lack of response may be used by the six NWL CCGs as evidence of a lack of market interest. Your response is therefore important to inform the CCGs what the most appropriate process might be to establish a new contract including whether it is necessary to run a competitive process. CONFIRMATION OF YOUR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST IS THEREFORE IMPORTANT.