Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service (NEPTS)

Concepts

• transport services
• nepts
• preston
• warrington
• newcastle upon tyne
• manchester
• non-emergency patient transport service
• national review of nepts
• priority service transport - for time
• patient transport - for

Location

North West England: Within the boundaries of the Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB - Lancashire and south Cumbria

Geochart for 4 buyers and 4 suppliers

NHS Lancashire & South Cumbria Integrated Care Board

NHS Cheshire & Merseyside Integrated Care Board

NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board

NHS North East & North Cumbria Integrated Care Partnership

North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust

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Description

NHS Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit (CSU) are publishing this contract award notice on behalf of NHS Lancashire & South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), NHS Greater Manchester ICB, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB and NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB who have awarded contracts for the provision of Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services (NEPTS) to cover Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cumbria delivering: - Planned Patient Transport - for routine outpatient appointments - Unplanned Patient Transport - for discharges / short notice bookings, and - Enhanced Priority Service Transport - for time critical transport for patients attending for haemodialysis or oncology treatments. This contract award notice is for the direct award of contracts with the existing providers, 24 months from 1st April 2023 to the 31st March 2025. This is a modification to the VEAT notice reference 2023/S 000-010668 as the contract length now covers 2 years to 31st March 2025. The current NEPTS contracts were originally procured by competitive tender. There was then a delay in the recommissioning of these services due to the COVID-19 pandemic however work is now underway to develop a North West strategic approach to patient transport being commissioned by the newly formed ICBs that will meet both local and national requirements. To allow the timescales to complete this work and re-procure the service an extension of 24 months is required with the existing providers. A review of the North West specifications is required to ensure it meets the evolving needs of the ICBs. In addition the National Review of NEPTS produced its final report on patient eligibility criteria in May 2022. This has broadened the criteria under which patients are able to access NHS funded transport and has required additional work on the specifications. The National Review has produced, and continues to produce, additional guidance to be adopted which will impact the North West specifications. The rationale for the 24-month extension with the existing provider is that it will maintain the continuity of service until such time as a new service can be commissioned that will meet local requirements and incorporate any new national requirements. The extension is only a temporary arrangement to allow the appropriate timescales to re-procure the service (which have previously been delayed due to the pandemic and therefore events that were unforeseeable to the commissioners). Extension of the existing contract for a further 24 months until 31 March 2025.

Lot Division

Award Detail

Award Criteria

CPV Codes

• 60000000 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

Legal Justification

There was an initial delay in the recommissioning of these services due to the COVID-19 pandemic which was an event unforeseeable by the contracting authority. In addition the existing provider is considered to be the only provider that can offer a continuity of service to patients over the next 24 months, without creating a significant operational risk and disruption to service whilst allowing the timescales for the new service to be planned and implemented safely. This contract is being awarded under Regulation 32 (2)(b)(ii).

Other Information

** PREVIEW NOTICE, please check Find a Tender for full details. ** This Contract Award Notice is published under the Public Contract Regulations 2015. It is for clinical services which are Light Touch Regime services for the purpose of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 as specified in Schedule 3 of the Regulations ('Regulations'). Accordingly, the contracting authority is only bound by those parts of the Regulations detailed in Chapter 3 Particular Procurement Regimes Section 7. The contracting authority is not voluntarily following any other part of the Regulations.