Yorkshire and Humber Commissioning Support, on behalf of NHS East Riding of Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group and East Riding of Yorkshire Council, is seeking to commission community care equipment service and wheelchair services through a restricted procurement process. The Community Care Equipment Service element is jointly commissioned by NHS East Riding of Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group and East riding of Yorkshire Council, and the Wheelchair Service solely commissioned by the Clinical Commissioning Group. The preferred bidder(s) will be required to demonstrate how they will deliver services in an environment of transforming health and social care provision as outlined in the NHS Five Year Forward View and the Care Act 2014.

Lot 1 Community Equipment

The aim of the integrated community equipment service is to support health, social care and educational needs and to help alleviate risk and promote independence. It is required to provide a service for children and adults with physical or learning disabilities, long term conditions or mental health problems. Additionally many older people who do not see themselves as disabled but may be frail can certainly benefit from these services. The service could be said to provide equipment to assist with home care, or to assist with a programme of rehabilitation or to assist with independent living of people within the community. Therefore, the broad range of community equipment services to be covered by this service includes short and long term loan of:

1. equipment for daily living, such as shower chairs and stools, bath lifts, raised toilet seats

2. home nursing equipment such as pressure relief mattresses and commodes

3. children's equipment

4. sensory equipment

5. communication aids

The vision for the service is to enable those in need of support to maintain their independence, health and well-being in their chosen home

1. To support people with long term conditions to be independent and in control of their condition

2. To help increase the number of people successfully discharged from hospital to their own homes

3. To help reduce the number of people entering more institutional forms of care

4. To help reduce the number of emergencies amongst people living independently that might result in more intensive services being required

5. To help increase the number of people live with dignity in their chosen environment, which is made safe and secure

6. To extend the healthy life expectancy of older people, preventing ill health or reducing the likelihood of falls or other accidents

7. To support people at the end of their lives in their preferred place of care

8. To support provision of care closer to home

Lot 2 Wheelchair Assessment and Provision

The primary aim of the wheelchair service is to meet the needs of service users with restricted mobility and their carers, through timely, high quality specialist assessment of needs and the prescribing and provision of appropriate specialist wheelchairs, seating systems and associated equipment, including any necessary repair and routine maintenance.

In East Riding of Yorkshire the wheelchair service will provide appropriate mobility solutions for both short and long term need for a wheelchair and associated equipment. Where requested the wheelchair service will operate a voucher scheme to facilitate greater choice, in line with the principles of personal health budgets.

Service objectives include:

— maximising independence for service users

— response to changes in the service user's health and care needs through regular review

— appropriate assessment, information, guidance, training, support to service users in the safe use and maintenance of wheelchairs and associated equipment loaned to them

— provide wheelchairs and associated equipment for use in appropriate and various settings including service users own home, place of work/education or training and outdoors

— prompt response to requests for repairs

— routine maintenance as recommended by the manufacturer

— high quality customer service delivering good patient and carer experience

— provision of information, advice, education and support to health and social care professionals in relation to, wheelchairs and associated equipment

— provision of wheelchairs to support hospital discharge where this is required

For both lots the provider(s) will be expected to work with commissioners to maximise the reuse and recycling of equipment and spare parts, including targeted clinically led projects to recover items that are no longer required.

We are, therefore, looking for a provider who can support our aims to maximise independence, reduce hospital admissions and promote early supported discharge from hospital. The provider should be able to demonstrate a track record of delivery of high quality, timely, flexible service meeting all commissioner requirements, supported by detailed performance reporting to facilitate monitoring of maximum value for money.

The duration of the agreement will be for a minimum of 60 months, with the option to extend for up to a further 24 months.

The estimated value excluding VAT of the contract over the entire 84 months contract period (60 + 24 months option), is 12 970 000 (8 430 000 GBP Community Care Equipment Service and 4 540 000 GBP Wheelchair Services).