This Any Qualified Provider for Adult Hearing Services was commissioned by North of England Commissioning Support Unit for and on behalf of:

NHS Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group.

The service was commissioned in line with national guidance and local requirements. The providers were required to deliver high quality, efficient services which are responsive to the needs of the local communities.

The service was commissioned using the Any Qualified Provider process. In securing services under the AQP process, assurance of competence, quality and safety standards was required. Providers were eligible to join the qualified provider list subject to demonstrating competency against specified criteria. Qualified providers are expected to deliver the service under the NHS Standard Contract. As a qualified provider there are no levels of guaranteed activity. Payment is made based on actual provision and outcomes.

The qualification questionnaire and all relevant documentation associated with this offer were advertised at the NECS eTendering Portal, which can be found at:

https://In-tendhost.co.uk/necs

The deadline for completion of the qualification documents was 12 noon on 30.6.2015.