Dental Access Centre - NHS Gloucestershire ICB

Description

NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (GICB) is seeking providers who have the capability and capacity to deliver Dental Services (MDS) in Gloucester. Fundamentally this opportunity seeks to increase access to NHS dentistry in a part of the county where deprivation is greatest by working in partnership to commission a new bespoke primary care Dental Access Centre facility in a fit for purpose environment. GICB's vision for this service is to increase primary care dental access in a Core20 area and begin to address oral health inequalities. This service will provide urgent care and stabilisation, as well as offering routine treatment to a cohort of patients who are both poorly catered for under the existing high street model, and who are disproportionately affected with oral pain and diseases, which negatively affects their health and wellbeing. • The contract will be a Personal Dental Services (PDS) contract to deliver a Dental Access Centre in Gloucester. Premises are located at 1st Floor, Quayside House, Quayside Street, Gloucester, GL1 2TZ • The premises are mandated and owned and leased by Gloucestershire County Council (GCC). The successful provider will need to secure a lease with GCC for the duration of the PDS contract term. • A draft Heads of Terms is included in the Invitation to Tender (ITT) pack which sets out the expected terms and conditions between the owner of the building and the service provider. • Construction work will be undertaken on behalf of GCC, and floor plans and room data sheets are included in the ITT pack to inform potential bidders about the premises and what is provided as part of the building fit out. • The successful provider will need to provide any additional fit out and equipment to deliver the services. It will also be expected to fund associated recurrent revenue costs, for example servicing and maintenance; rent and rates; cleaning and lighting. • The premises will have space for up to 7 dental chairs. • There is an expectation that the provider is or becomes a postgraduate training practice and hosts foundation dentists. • Funding for hosting foundation dentists is awarded and administered by NHS Workforce Training and Education (NHS WTE) and the successful provider will be expected to apply to NHS WTE for funding. • The PDS contract term will be for an initial term of 10 years, with an option to extend for any period up to a further 5 years, and then for a further 5 years, at the sole discretion of the Commissioner. • Rental payment and services are currently scheduled to commence on 1st July 2026. • Service must commence no later than 6 months after contract award (scheduled for early January 2026), unless there is an agreement with the Commissioner to extend the mobilisation period. • The contract term and service payments will start on the service commencement date. • The Commissioner has a maximum financial envelope available of £1,200,000 per annum. The total maximum contract value for the duration excluding extensions is £12,000,000, and £24,000,000 including extensions. • The successful provider will need to deliver urgent care, stabilisation and routine care as part of the contract. • Following discussion and agreement with the commissioner, the successful provider may offer private treatment from the same premises however this must not be at the detriment of NHS patients or the provider's delivery of the PDS contract. • TUPE will not be applicable for this procurement process. This exercise is being carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioner. Lot 1: NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (GICB) is seeking providers who have the capability and capacity to deliver Dental Services (MDS) in Gloucester. Fundamentally this opportunity seeks to increase access to NHS dentistry in a part of the county where deprivation is greatest by working in partnership to commission a new bespoke primary care Dental Access Centre facility in a fit for purpose environment, incorporating flexible commissioning and workforce training. • The contract will be a Personal Dental Services (PDS) contract to deliver a Dental Access Centre in Gloucester. Premises are located at 1st Floor, Quayside House, Quayside Street, Gloucester, GL1 2TZ • The premises are mandated and owned and leased by Gloucestershire County Council (GCC). The successful provider will need to secure a lease with GCC for the duration of the PDS contract term. • A draft Heads of Terms is included in the Invitation to Tender (ITT) pack which sets out the expected terms and conditions between the owner of the building and the service provider. • Construction work will be undertaken on behalf of GCC, and floor plans and room data sheets are included in the ITT pack to inform potential bidders about the premises and what is provided as part of the building fit out. • The successful provider will need to provide any additional fit out and equipment to deliver the services. It will also be expected to fund associated, recurrent revenue costs, for example servicing and maintenance; rent and rates; cleaning and lighting. • The premises will have space for up to 7 dental chairs. • There is an expectation that the provider is or becomes a postgraduate training practice and hosts foundation dentists. • Funding for hosting foundation dentists is awarded and administered by NHS Workforce Training and Education (NHS WTE) and the successful provider will be expected to apply to NHS WTE for funding. • The PDS contract term will be for an initial term of 10 years, with an option to extend for any period up to a further 5 years, and then for a further 5 years, at the sole discretion of the Commissioner. • Rental payment and services are currently scheduled to commence on 1st July 2026. • Service must commence no later than 6 months after contract award (scheduled for early January 2026), unless there is an agreement with the Commissioner to extend the mobilisation period. • The contract term and service payments will start on the service commencement date. • The Commissioner has a maximum financial envelope available of £1,200,000 per annum. The total maximum contract value for the duration excluding extensions is £12,000,000, and £24,000,000 including extensions. • The successful provider will need to deliver urgent care, stabilisation and routine care as part of the contract. • Following discussion and agreement by the commissioner, the successful provider may offer private treatment from the same premises however this must not be at the detriment of NHS patients or the provider's delivery of the PDS contract. • TUPE will not be applicable for this procurement process. Aims and Objectives of the Service Gloucestershire ICB's vision for this service is to increase primary care dental access in a Core20 area and begin to address oral health inequalities. This service will provide urgent care and stabilisation, as well as offering routine treatment to a cohort of patients who are both poorly catered for under the existing high street model, and who are disproportionately affected with oral pain and diseases, which negatively affects their health and wellbeing. Located within the Quayside building in Gloucester City this new Dental Access Centre will be a bespoke primary care service in a fit for purpose environment and the service specification details an innovative approach to achieve this vision. By meeting the population's need for dental care and providing personalised prevention, the service will positively contribute to the delivery of the following elements of the NHS Outcomes Framework (March 22): - 3.7.ii Tooth extractions due to decay for children admitted as inpatients to hospital, aged 10 years and under - 4a.iii Patient experience of NHS dental services - 4.4.ii Access to NHS dental services. Eligibility criteria for each element of the service is detailed below: • Urgent Care - Any adult or child patient referred from the local dental triage line/111 - Patients referred by community partners - e.g. co-located GP surgery, charities where patients struggle to access urgent care via 111 -pathways to be arranged collaboratively with provider and community partners. • Stabilisation - Any patient referred for Stabilisation from urgent care at this centre or from other urgent care providers in the county as applicable. - Any patient referred for Stabilisation from defined third party partners e.g. GP surgeries, voluntary care organisations. - Any patient referred for Stabilisation from ICB developed stabilisation pathways e.g. cancer pathways, cardiology patients, high needs children identified through first dental steps program. • Routine Dental Patients - Patients eligible to receive ongoing routine dental care at the centre are those who have accessed stabilisation at the centre AND reside in a Gloucestershire Core20 Postcode or who belong to a vulnerable group as identified by Gloucestershire County Council Public Health Team and/or the NHS Consultants in Dental Public Health Team,, including but not limited to, low income families, people who rely on others for care or support, people with a physical or learning disability, Children in Care, people experiencing homelessness, people who misuse substances (drugs, alcohol, tobacco), asylum seekers and refugees. - Exact Eligible postcodes/cohorts will be agreed with the ICB Split of Clinical Activity Urgent Care: 572 Sessions Per Year 10 sessions per week Monday to Friday 1 session per weekend 7 x 30 mins appointments per session Session rate £650 Total annual cost: £371,800 Stabilisation: 1,040 sessions per year 20 sessions per week Approx 7 x 30 mins appt per session Session rate £650 Total annual cost: £676,000 Routine: 5,073 UDAs per annum UDA rate £30 Total annual cost: £152,200 • There will be some flexibility over the course of the contract in relation to the split of activity particularly whilst the service is embedded and developed, and this will be agreed between the Commissioner and the successful Provider. • It may be necessary to flex the proportions of urgent care, stabilisation and routine care specified above to meet local needs. • The upper tolerance limit of Urgent Care that could be requested would be 819 urgent care sessions per annum (Making the urgent care portion of the contract worth £532,350). There would be a corresponding decrease in the number of stabilisation sessions requested. This exercise is being carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioner.