Manchester health leaders have kicked off the search for providers of “out of hospital” health and care services across the city under a contract worth nearly £6bn – the largest ever NHS services tender.
A tender document, published by NHS Shared Business Services, sets out for the first time the contract value and other details of the ambitious plan to set up a “local care organisation” to provide all non-acute services – including social care – across the city.
The LCO will hold a single 10 year contract to provide services for a population of around 600,000 across the city – but not the entire Greater Manchester devolution region. The contract will be let by Manchester Health and Care Commissioning, a partnership between the city council and a newly formed single clinical commissioning group.
The notice, which calls for expressions of interest by the end of April, said: “Commissioners seek responses from interested providers who wish to deliver… a local care organisation for the population of Manchester with the aim of bringing together a range of health, social care and public health services to be delivered in the community.”
“The LCO is envisaged [to have] an emphasis upon: local population health and prevention of ill health; connecting to community assets and building upon people’s strengths and self-management skills; and targeted care support people’s needs particularly as needs change and become more complex. The estimated total contract value for the 10 year contract term is £5.9bn.”
Full story in The HSJ, 7 April 2017