NHS Arden and Greater East Midlands Commissioning Support Unit (NHS Arden and GEM CSU) on behalf of NHS North Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group (NDCCG) acting as Lead Commissioner on behalf of NHS Hardwick Clinical Commissioning Group are inviting expressions of interest from suitably qualified providers to deliver a Licensed Parenteral Methotrexate dispensing and Patient Delivery Service to adult rheumatology patients that are being managed under shared care agreement between the specialist rheumatology service and general practitioners in North Derbyshire and Hardwick.

Patients will be delivered licensed parenteral methotrexate on an 8 weekly basis with the provision of clinical waste bins and clinical waste collection and disposal services.

Over the lifetime of the contract there is the potential scope for the inclusion of patients under the specialist service at Royal Derby Hospital Foundation Trust, Southern Derbyshire CCG and Erewash CCG.

The key aims and objectives identified by the Commissioners will include:

— Request prescriptions from patients GP practice in a timely way to ensure patients receive licensed parenteral methotrexate at appropriate intervals.

— Ensure prescriptions are in line with clinical information from the hospital to prevent errors.

— Delivery of licensed parenteral methotrexate to patients on an 8-weekly basis.

— The current licensed parenteral methotrexate product that is used is Metoject, if a switch was required to an alternative licensed product, the company would need to support this transition with appropriate clinical support to patients and clinicians.

— Provision of clinical waste bins for safe disposal of clinical waste.

— Collection of filled clinical waste bins and appropriate disposal of these.

Please note the following patients are excluded from this service:

a) Those receiving parenteral methotrexate for non-rheumatology indications;

b) Those under the age of 18;

c) Those receiving unlicensed parenteral methotrexate;

d) Those who are not stable on their parenteral methotrexate dose.