Gloucestershire Dental Treatment Hub

Description

The title of this service has been renamed from 'Dental Services within a Centre of Dental Excellence' as it was titled throughout the procurement process to 'Gloucestershire Dental Treatment Hub at University of Gloucestershire (UoG) Three Counties Dental School'. NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (GICB) sought providers who have the capability and capacity to deliver Dental Services in Gloucester. Fundamentally this contract 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 Treatment Hub facility in a fit for purpose environment. • The contract will be a Personal Dental Services (PDS) contract to deliver dental services as part of a Gloucestershire Dental Treatment Hub in Gloucester. Premises are located at 3rd floor, City Campus, Northgate Street, Gloucester, GL1 1SQ. • The premises are mandated and owned and leased by the University of Gloucestershire (UoG). The successful provider will need to secure a lease with UoG for the duration of the PDS contract term. • A draft Heads of Terms were 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 has been undertaken on behalf of UoG, 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 6 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 is 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 March 2027. • Service will commence no later than 6 months after contract award (scheduled for 1st September 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 had 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. • Subject to the detail of Dental Contract Reform, the successful provider will need to deliver urgent care, dental access & health inequalities pathways 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 was not applicable for this procurement process. This exercise was carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioner. Lot 1: The title of this service has been renamed from 'Dental Services within a Centre of Dental Excellence' as it was titled throughout the procurement process to 'Gloucestershire Dental Treatment Hub at University of Gloucestershire (UoG) Three Counties Dental School'. NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (GICB) sought providers who have the capability and capacity to deliver Dental Services in Gloucester. Fundamentally this contract 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 Treatment Hub facility in a fit for purpose environment. • The contract will be a Personal Dental Services (PDS) contract to deliver dental services as part of a Gloucestershire Dental Treatment Hub in Gloucester. Premises are located at 3rd floor, City Campus, Northgate Street, Gloucester, GL1 1SQ. • The premises are mandated and owned and leased by the University of Gloucestershire (UoG). The successful provider will need to secure a lease with UoG for the duration of the PDS contract term. • A draft Heads of Terms were 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 has been undertaken on behalf of UoG, 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 6 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 is 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 March 2027. • Service will commence no later than 6 months after contract award (scheduled for 1st September 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 had 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. • Subject to the detail of Dental Contract Reform, the successful provider will need to deliver urgent care, dental access & health inequalities pathways 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 was not applicable for this procurement process. Located within City Campus in the heart of Gloucester City on King's Square this new Gloucestershire Dental Treatment Hub will be a bespoke primary care service in a fit for purpose environment and this specification details an innovative approach to achieve this vision. Alongside increasing dental access, our vision is that training provision for all members of the dental team exists locally, ranging from Dental Care Professional undergraduate courses and/or clinical placement provision for undergraduates, to post qualification training for dental and dental therapy foundation training. The University of Gloucestershire will develop these education offers, initially a BSC in Dental Hygiene, which whilst aligned to this specification are funded and delivered separately (i.e. excluded from this service specification). The provider of dental access at City Campus will be expected to work in close partnership with the University of Gloucestershire (UoG). For example: • the provider will be a tenant of the university and will lease space according to an agreed Heads of Terms and utilising a Lease Agreement; • a memorandum of understanding will be required between the university and dental access provider in respect of space leased and equipped by the provider but shared by the university, for example the decontamination room; The provider must form and maintain a mutually supportive collaborative relationship with the provider of undergraduate DCP training who will share the Dental Treatment Hub. This may be the University of Gloucestershire directly and/or an education franchise partner selected by the university. This will involve referral of student appropriate patients from the dental provider to the education provider and acceptance of patients out of scope of students from the education provider (subject to reasonable referral guidelines that will be mutually agreed). Whilst no teaching or clinical supervision of undergraduate students is expected under this contract, the provider is expected to work in close partnership with the university or their franchise partner who is likely to wish to commission placement activity from the provider of dental access subject to separate agreement/contract between the university and the provider and funded by the university. The objectives of the service will therefore simultaneously increase access to NHS dentistry and while contributing to the upskilling of the local dental workforce through education and training. 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. • Health inequalities pathways/activities - Any patient referred from urgent care at this centre or from other urgent care providers in the county as applicable. - Any patient referred from defined third party partners e.g. GP surgeries, voluntary care organisations. - Any patient referred from ICB developed 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 health inequalities pathways/activities 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), gypsies, asylum seekers and refugees. - Exact Eligible postcodes/cohorts will be agreed with the ICB Split of Clinical Activity Urgent Care: 3549 courses of treatment in hours at up to £75 per COT. Total annual cost: £266,175 Plus at least 1 clinical session to be delivered per weekend funded at a sessional rate of £650. Minimum 7 patients per session. Total annual cost £33,800 Combined Total annual cost: £299,975 Dental access and health inequalities pathways: Until the detail of Dental Contract Reform is known, a working assumption of: 1,040 sessions per year 20 sessions per week A minimum of 7 x 30 mins appt per session Total annual cost: £676,025 Please see detail in service specification for likely changes anticipated as a result of dental contract reform. Routine: 7466 UDAs per annum UDA rate £30 Total annual cost: £224,000 Flexibility will be required in how the split of clinical activity is utilised over the length of the contract. For example, the potential inclusion of sessions/activity for specific patient groups such as children or families or patients with cancer. Flexibility is likely to be required over the course of the contract in relation to the split of activity, and this will be agreed between the Commissioner and the Provider. It may be necessary to flex the proportions of urgent care, dental access & health inequalities activity and routine care specified above to need local needs. It is expected that the provider would become a child friendly dental practice and opt to deliver tier 2 services once the details and service specification of this are released. Overall contract activity would then be adjusted accordingly to remain within the total funding envelope. Additionally, the provider should be prepared to deliver inhalation sedation in line with national sedation guidelines as part of the child friendly dental practice plus programme. There may be a requirement to utilise some of the contract value to deliver Intermediate Minor Oral Surgery (IMOS). Other activity would then be adjusted accordingly. This is a new service to be delivered by a new provider. This notice serves as an intention to award a contract under the competitive process of the Provider Selection Regime (PSR). This exercise was carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioner.