NHSX Market Engagement Questionnaire for Digital Pharmacy, Optometry, Dentistry, Ambulance and Community (PODAC) - Dentistry Services (PODAC)

Description

NHSX are conducting Market Engagement with interested Suppliers to investigate the current market capabilities to develop possible solutions to shape the digital technology solutions available to Dental Services as part of NHSX's Digital Pharmacy, Optometry, Dentistry, Ambulance, and community (PODAC) programme. Interested Suppliers are invited to complete a questionnaire that has been designed to develop an understanding of the current maturity of suppliers in the market and the ability to meet the digital PODAC capabilities. The questionnaire and further detail on the digital PODAC capabilities are available via the Intend e-procurement system. This engagement is an information gathering exercise only. It will help inform the PODAC commercial strategy and any future procurement thinking and is not a procurement exercise in itself. Lot 1: Our ambition is to improve the digital maturity of general and community dentistry to comparable levels of other sectors; to develop and test interoperability standards to enable integration with wider clinical information systems; and to standardise e-referral pathways so that patients have the same experience no matter what type of care they need. There has been fantastic digital progress in dentistry, including the increased use of remote consultations, digital interfaces for patients including online self-referral and booking and text reminders, development of Referral Management Systems (RMS) and digital triage of referrals using digital image transfer. Key challenges in fully realising the benefits of digital solutions include: ● A lack of system and interoperability standards, particularly for practice management systems (PMS). ● Limited market for referral management systems (RMS) which stifles competition and innovation. The project aims to understand the availability of solutions that can support NHSX to further digitise dentistry services by enabling dentistry services to connect with each other more effectively and with other healthcare providers right along the wider health and care systems. This will, in turn, increase the transparency and access to services and enable better communications between clinical teams and services, ultimately improving patient experience and pathway performance. "A range of stakeholders from across the dentistry sector have described how access to patient records is a key requirement to avoid situations where dental care may be based on an incomplete medical history. Dentists rely upon patients accurately recalling what medications they may be taking or specifics of other conditions, which creates potential safety issues if this is incorrect. Standardised access to clinically-relevant information is required." Interested suppliers are invited to complete a questionnaire that has been designed to develop an understanding of the current maturity of suppliers in the market and the ability to meet the PODAC priorities listed below: ● to test and roll-out electronic prescriptions (e.g., EPS) and exemption checking (e.g., RTEC) to the dental sector affording the same benefits experienced by general practice and community pharmacy to streamline these processes ● Working with NHSX bookings and referrals programme to develop national standards and procurement routes for electronic referral management systems (and related appointment booking capability) including: o from NHS111 and general practice (pathways for which NHSE/I has or plans to commission services), and o to specialist dental services. ● to test and roll-out access to GP-held clinical information (e.g., via access to Summary Care Records (SCRa) or GP Connect) as part of journey to interoperability. ● development of clinical terminology standards to enable transfer of patient information to other systems. ● development of interoperability standards to enable connectivity with other health care records and standardisation of practice management systems (PMS). ● development of standardised e-referral pathways for urgent, routine and specialist dental care including support for development of national image transfer standards and consideration of 'digital consent' for hand-off of patients between professionals so that patients have a seamless experience. Further information on digital capabilities is included in the presentation that is available via the in-tend portal. The National Commercial & Procurement Hub is conducting this market engagement on behalf of NHSX. The questionnaire and further detail on the PODAC capabilities are available via the Intend e-procurement system. Information gathered through this market engagement activity will help inform the PODAC commercial strategy and any possible future procurement process. This market engagement will not impact on participation in any procurement process. For the sake of clarity, respondents should note that their information will be held as commercial in confidence and solely used for the purpose of strategy formation. Should you wish to participate in this exercise please register through the Intend e-procurement system (https://in-tendhost.co.uk/scwcsu/aspx/Home) for further instructions. If you require any further assistance, please contact commercial.procurementhub@nhs.net. The deadline for completing the questionnaire is 17.00 on 10th January 2022. Additional information: For the avoidance of doubt, this notice is an information gathering exercise rather than a call for competition in its own right, and therefore publication or response does not commit the commissioner(s) to a future procurement, nor provide any process exemptions or preferential treatment to any parties expressing an interest. NHSX will not be liable for costs incurred by any interested party in participating in this exercise.