Procurement for the provision of a Diabetic Eye Screening Programme for Kent & Medway

Descriptions

NHS England South East (Kent, Surrey, Sussex) is seeking to re-procure the Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (DESP) in Kent and Medway. The Commissioner will be contracting for the services using the National NHS Standard Contract. The contract will be for a term of 5 years and is due to commence on 10th October 2019. Payment will be made on a tariff basis and the anticipated total value of the contract, based on achievable KPI uptake (85%), is £12,465,083. The Commissioners seek tender responses from providers who have the capability and capacity to undertake such a contract. This procurement is being carried out by NHS South, Central & West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioners. The contract will serve a population of around 1.8 million, of whom c. 100,729 are eligible (being individuals over the age of 12 currently identified as diabetics in need of screening). National DESP Guidance estimates a potential 4% growth per annum in the number of people diagnosed with diabetes and approximately 2% of the population in Kent and Medway who may be as yet undiagnosed. The service provider(s) will need to be adaptable to any new elements or changes to the national programme. The successful bidder will be required to implement the change to extended screening intervals for the low risk population as outlined by the 2016 UK NSC recommendation. The successful bidder will be required to deliver a screening programme which is fully compliant with all relevant national standards and pathways and which include the following elements: •Identification and invitation of the eligible diabetic population for screening at regular/appropriate intervals (i.e. call/recall) in accordance with national guidance; •Taking and grading of digital images of service users' eyes; •Provision of Digital Surveillance Clinics, Slit Lamp Biomicroscopy (SLB) within the commissioned service; •Referral of service users to appropriate Hospital Eye Services/Treatment Services in accordance with nationally agreed protocols and treatment pathways. The population to be served by the programme is that covered by the 8 CCGs in the Kent and Medway Sustainable Transformation Partnership (West Kent, Medway, Ashford, Canterbury & Coastal, Thanet, Dartford Gravesham & Swanley, South Kent Coast and Swale). Interested parties are invited to take part in an Invitation To Tender (ITT) process, based on the Open procedure, and designed to identify the Most Economically Advantageous Tender and therefore determine the incoming provider. The deadline for receipt of tender submissions is no later than 12 noon on 7th December 2018.