Medicines management prescribing and screening computer system

Description

This is a voluntary ex ante transparency notice communicating NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board's (the Authority) intention to award a contract to Prescribing Services Ltd for the provision of 'Eclipse Live' a prescribing and screening computer system that identifies those at risk of emergency admissions, bringing together data confidentially and securely to create safety reports automatically and empowering Mid and South Essex GPs to identify patients at risk of a medicine related emergency admission, helping both patient and the NHS to avoid unnecessary admission where possible. The supplies being procured include: - The provision of a centralised database to enable NHS organisations to evaluate their compliance with best practice guidelines. - RADAR, a centralised set of best practice prescribing criteria enabling Practices to gain insight, education and prompts to review patients at potential risk from overdue monitoring needs. - Diabetes Complete, a centralised tracking interface identifying compliance with National Guidelines for Diabetes Best Practice. This contract commences 1st April 2025 until 30th June 2026, at a total aggregate contract value including extensions of £257,909.00. Lot 1: Previously during the transition between GPSoC Framework and The GP IT Futures Lot 1 Framework Agreement, Continuity Call Off Agreements (CCOA) were agreed nationally by NHSE and put into place in behalf of the Mid and South Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs). NHS Digital and the National Commercial and Procurement Hub worked together to create a fourth procurement vehicle under the GP IT Futures Lot 1 framework, which mimics the Further Competition - On Catalogue procurement methodology but expands on the concept to allow Call Off Agreements to be awarded for values of up to £1.5M, covering both Foundation and none Foundation solutions. The Bridging Agreement process was then executed, with a mini competition run by NHS Digital / the Hub on behalf of the then CCG. Bridging Agreements were timebound to a maximum of eighteen months. The mini competitions focused on the timescales for change and cost of change associated with switching products in the short term. Following the mini competition, NHS Digital / the Hub then provided the CCG with Order Summaries, which outline the ongoing contractual position for the solutions in use by the CCG. The Authority (now the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board) is planning to re-compete the entire GP IT estate via an appropriate route to market, however, the GP IT Futures framework expired on 31 March 2023. The procurement for a Framework Agreement to replace this was due to be completed by 2024 by NHS Digital. The website states that Continuity contracts have been put in place to ensure that you continue to have access to your purchased solutions and services between 1 April 2023 and the go live date of the replacement, which is scheduled for early 2024. The page was last edited on 25th March 2024, however, the replacement Framework has not been concluded to date by NHS Digital. The Continuity Contracts in place for Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board expire on 31st March 2025. As the Authority is unable to run a mini competition under the replacement framework (the Digital Pathways which has been delayed until after the new Procurement Act 2023 is running from 24th February 2025), it has taken a decision to award a contract to the incumbent Provider TPP without call for competition, as TPP is considered to be the most technically capable provider to deliver the primary care core clinical service requirement given the unacceptable financial risks, duplication of resource and continuity of provision risks associated with any change in contractor and therefore swap out of digital solution across c. 150 practices across mid and south Essex within the timescales remaining available to undertake this in. The Authority has been left with no option but to continue the provision via a direct award without call for competition. This award is made to ensure quality, safety and consistency in provision of care that meet the needs of the vulnerable patient population within Mid and South Essex. To date the aggregate contract spend with Prescribing Services Ltd for provision of Eclipse Live for the following contract periods is £714,348.00 : Initial contract term: 1st October 2022 - 31st March 2024. 1st extension: 1st April 2024 – 31st October 2024. 2nd Extension: 1st November 2024 – 31st March 2025. Proposed extension subject of this VEAT: 1st April 2025 – 30th June 2026.