NHSWYICB - King Street Walk-in-Centre

Description

Provision of an NHS Walk-In Centre provides walk-in services to patients for minor illness and minor injuries. The walk in service is open for patients (except children under 6 months and pregnancy related issues) who need same-day care and cannot wait to see their own GP. Lot 1: The Contract Authority; NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board intends to award a contract to an existing provider following Direct Award Process C. The authority is publishing this notice in Find a Tender in accordance with the NHS Provider Selection Regime.<br/><br/>Contract length is 1 Year plus a 1 Year extension option<br/><br/>Contract period: 01/11/2026 – 31/10/2027 <br/>Contract Period extension: 01/11/2027 - 31/10/2028<br/><br/>Contract value including extension £3,990,734. Additional information: 1. Eligibility for Direct Award Process C<br/>The decision records and contract assurance documentation confirm that the King Street Walk in Centre:<br/>• is an existing service providing urgent same day primary care;<br/>• is delivered by an existing provider, Local Care Direct (LCD);<br/>• is replacing a contract that is due to expire; and<br/>• is therefore eligible in principle for Direct Award Process C.<br/>The reveiw identifies the relevant commissioning, quality, finance and approval routes within Wakefield Place and WY ICB, confirms that appropriate internal governance approvals were obtained, and records that no unmanaged conflicts of interest were identified.<br/>This evidences that the decision to use Direct Award Process C was taken consciously and contemporaneously within the PSR framework, rather than by default or assumption.<br/>2. No Considerable Change to Contracting Arrangements<br/>The proposed contract and service specification demonstrate that the arrangements for King Street Walk in Centre do not introduce any considerable change compared with the existing contract.<br/>In substance:<br/>• the service continues to operate as a walk in urgent primary care service for minor illness and injury;<br/>• the population served, service hours, access model, and clinical scope remain unchanged;<br/>• delivery remains with the same provider, at the same location, as part of the established urgent care system; and<br/>• there is no material expansion, reconfiguration, or transfer of delivery risk.<br/>The ICB actively reviewed the proposed contract duration, scope, outcomes, delivery model, and risk profile against the existing arrangements and concluded that none of these elements met the PSR “considerable change” threshold.<br/>The proposed 1 year contract with a 1 year extension option reflects continuity and stability while wider system led service review and engagement activity continues.<br/>3. Provider Performance and Likely Future Performance<br/>The PSRC Service Review – King Street Walk in Centre provides detailed, narrative based evidence demonstrating that the existing provider:<br/>• is satisfying the current contract to a sufficient standard; and<br/>• is likely to satisfy the proposed contract to a sufficient standard.<br/>The Service Review evidences performance against the PSR key criteria, including:<br/>• Quality and safety, supported by strong contractual KPI performance, consistent achievement of the four hour standard, robust clinical governance, and a CQC rating of “Good”;<br/>• Value and stewardship of public funds, including evidence of improving activity levels, system contribution through ED avoidance, and appropriate cost benchmarking against alternative urgent care models;<br/>• Integration, collaboration, and sustainability, with the service embedded within the Wakefield and West Yorkshire urgent and emergency care system, supporting NHS 111, ambulance, primary care and acute pathways;<br/>• Access, inequalities, and choice, with high utilisation by patients from more deprived communities, extended hours provision, city centre accessibility, and inclusive access arrangements; and<br/>• Social value, including delivery by a social enterprise, local employment, workforce development, reinvestment of surplus, and contribution to prevention and community resilience.<br/>The ICB considered not only historic performance, but also whether the provider’s established workforce, governance arrangements, digital infrastructure, and system partnerships provide assurance of continued performance under the proposed contract.<br/>The proposed contract does not introduce new delivery requirements, expanded cohorts, or increased demand beyond that already successfully managed by the provider.<br/>4. Proportionality and Overall Assurance<br/>In determining the appropriate procurement route, the ICB considered whether a competitive process would deliver additional benefit.<br/>Given the continuity of need, the absence of material change, the provider’s sustained and improving performance, and the risks associated with disruption to a key urgent care service, the ICB concluded that a competitive process would not be proportionate to the time, cost, and delivery risk involved.<br/>Taken together, the supporting documents provide a coherent and auditable justification for the use of Direct Award Process C, demonstrating that:<br/>• the regulatory conditions for Process C are met;<br/>• the decision was taken lawfully, transparently, and proportionately;<br/>• the existing provider sufficiently meets the PSR criteria; and<br/>• continuity of a clinically effective, accessible, and system critical urgent care service is in the best interests of patients and the wider Wakefield system.<br/>WY ICB therefore remains satisfied that the requirements of the Provider Selection Regime have been properly applied and evidenced.