NHS Sheffield CCG is looking to commission a service that will provide domiciliary care for service users in their own homes. In many cases the service users will be in the last days or weeks of their lives. This will be by scheduled visits, principally between 6am and 11pm but some service users may also require care overnight, seven days a week.

The service will provide this care on a flexible, rapid and occasionally crisis basis in order to accommodate the changing needs of the individual with specialist palliative care needs. The service will be provided in conjunction with other NHS mainstream services (e.g. district nurses) and voluntary providers, and as such the Provider will need to work in an integrated, collaborative manner, at both an organisational level and an individual patient level.

In addition, Sheffield CCG has commissioned a ‘Roaming Night' service to support people to live at home, and many of the patients supported in this way are having end of life care. The Provider will work collaboratively with the organisation providing the Roaming Night Care, prioritising meeting the patient's needs.

The service will also provide care for service users who are not approaching the end of their lives. The CCG arranges most domiciliary care by way of the Local Authority and this arrangement is expected to continue. However, a small number of service users, who are eligible for care funded by the CCG, have complex needs which cannot be met under the Local Authority Contracts. Providers who successfully tender for these contracts, will be required to provide care for these service users, which may include activities which extend beyond traditional domiciliary care. For example, it could include accompanying a service user to access community facilities.