NHS Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group (NEW Devon CCG) will appoint either a prime contractor or prime provider in the Eastern locality of NHS NEW Devon CCG to ensure delivery of all audiology services, both routine and complex services for all children and adults. This will be a pilot initially to inform future commissioning decisions for audiology services across the county of Devon.

This procurement is being carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the commissioners.

NHS Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group (NEW Devon CCG) will appoint either a prime contractor or prime provider in the Eastern locality of NHS NEW Devon CCG to ensure delivery of all audiology services, both routine and complex services for all children and adults. This will be a pilot initially to inform future commissioning decisions for audiology services across the county of Devon. The appointed provider/contractor will need to demonstrate that they are or will be suitably established to ensure delivery of all of the requirements set out within the service specification at the point of contract commencement and to ensure adequate geographical coverage across the locality to ensure services are easily accessible and convenient for people in their communities. The contract model allows all or elements of the service to be sub-contracted to one or more organisations, however, the appointed prime contractor/provider will be responsible for managing all sub-contracting arrangements and will be accountable for the delivery of the entire service.

The service defined within the specification will be managed and delivered within the agreed financial envelope. The prime contractor/provider will need to apply effective decision making in order to support service efficiencies e.g. decisions relating to fitting of unilateral hearing aids.

The aim is to provide a comprehensive service for both adults and children experiencing hearing and hearing related communication difficulties who feel they might benefit from audiology assessment and rehabilitation including the option of hearing aid fittings in line with the national commissioning framework, other national guidance and local requirements. The vision for people with hearing problems is for them to receive high quality, efficient services delivered closer to home, with short waiting times and high responsiveness to the needs of local communities, free at the point of access.

Key principles of an integrated hearing service is to:

— improve public health and occupational health focus on hearing loss,

— reduce prevalence of avoidable permanent hearing loss,

— encourage early identification, diagnosis and management of hearing loss through improved service user and professional education,

— provide person-centred care, and respond to information and psychosocial needs, including for the effect on partners/carers of living with poor hearing,

— support communication needs by providing timely signposting to lip reading classes and assistive technologies and other rehabilitation services,

— promote inclusion and participation of people who are deaf or hard of hearing,

— compliance with clinical guidance and good practice,

— improve the service through research and development and the adoption of new evidence based technologies and practices.

The appointed contractor/provider must ensure that there are local arrangements for referral into more specialist medical services in line with British Academy of Audiology (BAA) guidelines for direct referral of adults with hearing difficulty to audiology services (2016) and British Society of Hearing Aid Audiologists (BSHAA) Protocol and Criteria for Referral for Medical or other Specialist Opinion (2011).

The purpose of the audiology service is to ensure:

— equitable access to high and consistent quality care for all people using the service,

— a safe hearing service that conforms to the accreditation standards set out in the Improving Quality In Physiological Diagnostic Services (IQIPS) accreditation scheme,

— The service should also recognise published clinical guidelines and good practice (as set out in Section 4 — Applicable Service Standards).

The service will comprise of the following:

— adult hearing services,

— paediatric care,

— audiology disability,

— balance disorders, Tinnitus and Hyperacusis,

— hearing therapy,

— bone Anchored Hearing Aids (BAHA).