GP Clinical Assessment Service - Cat 3 & 4

Description

Intention to award a Contract under THE HEALTH CARE SERVICES (PROVIDER SELECTION REGIME) REGULATIONS 2023 - Direct Award Process C for the provision of a GP Lead Clinical Assessment Service for Category 3 & 4 - to allow for calls to the Urgent Care phone line to be assessed by GPs over the telephone, reducing the need for dispatching ambulances in cases where the medical need would be better served by a different clinical solution. Achieving an 80% downgrade rate. Lot 1: As part of the South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) remit to operate the 999 call service, it was identified that ambulances were being sent to patients that didn't need them, which otherwise could have been downgraded over the phone, reducing the need to dispatch an ambulance unnecessarily, and reducing the pressure and demand on the use of ambulances. A subcontract was set up between SCAS and their subcontractor to provide a GP Clinical Assessment Service to support this. The existing contract is due to expire on 31st March 2025. The contract has shown a huge benefit to SCAS - downgrade rates of 80%. As a result of the success of the contract, an additional one year contract is required from 1st April 2025 to 31st March 2026, with an option to extend for a further additional year. to 31st March 2027. If the contract expires with no replacement, SCAS and the public would experience a huge drop in service level, and an unnecessary dispatching of ambulances, putting further pressure on ambulance resources.