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Carpal Tunnel Services in North East Essex

Descriptions

North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group wishes to establish a single community provider contract for the provision of Carpal Tunnel Services. This will be a Community Service provided under a separate community contract. The Provider will receive all North East Essex referrals into this community service and there will be a community fixed price tariff i.e. non Payment by Results (PbR)., Referrals will be made by North East Essex GP Practices, the community physiotherapy service and the Clinical Assessment Service. In line with the Department of Health Patient Choice Framework, as a community service is available, there will be no legal requirement for a patient to be offered a choice of provider., GP practices will make the initial assessment and provide the first stage of conservative treatment i.e. wrist brace (where deemed appropriate) in primary care. Practices that are clinically competent will also administer steroid injections as the second stage of conservative treatment where appropriate. Practices recorded by the CCG as not being able to administer injections will refer patients to this community service for one course of treatment only (unless exceptional circumstances, such as surgery is not an option)., Following receipt of an injection, patients will be discharged back to their GP. If the GP believes that the conservative treatment has not been effective following the prescribed period, the GP may make a separate referral for Carpal surgery. Where following assessment by this service, the patient is found to have more complex needs and requires referral to an acute provider, this Service will make the referral to the provider. , The CCG is seeking to commission a consistent, timely, high quality, flexible and accessible service to patients that will focus on patient outcomes., The CCG aims to commission a Community Provider that can deliver this NHS non-urgent clinical pathway through:, •Clinical assessment and treatment in line with NICE guidelines, •Accredited clinicians with established peer review programme, •Provision of appropriate CQC compliant premises and facilities, •Access to Electromyograph (EMGs) tests where further diagnosis is required, •Assessment and treatment offered in line within defined response times, •Ability to run ad hoc clinics in a community setting for assessment and conservative, treatment, •Flexible operating times that will accommodate working patients, •Increased self-management through provision of education and advice, •A robust programme of planned clinical audits to demonstrate planned cycles of continual measurement and improvement, •Package prices on a cost per case basis via a local tariff i.e. consultation, assessment, procedure and follow-ups as necessary.