A contract notice worth £10 billion to provide services at community diagnostic hubs has been published by NHS England and NHS Improvement. Providers interested in tendering must express an interest by 20 July 2021.
The announcement follows a review by Professor Sir Mike Richards of diagnostic services as part of the NHS Long Term Plan in October 2020. His recommendations are set to overhaul the way MRI, CT and other diagnostic services are delivered for patients. It is in that context, that the pandemic has brought into sharper focus the need to revisit the way our diagnostic services are delivered. The review’s proposals to create community diagnostic hubs or ‘one-stop shops’ will make services more accessible to patients and help improve the outcomes for patients with cancer and other serious illnesses.
The publication of this contract notice is one big step in realising the review’s recommendation to revive and renew diagnostics expansion across the country. Simply put the objective of the Framework Agreement is to “improve population health: increase diagnostic capacity: improve productivity and efficiency of diagnostic activity, contribute to reducing health inequalities, deliver a better and more personalised diagnostic experience for patients and support integration of care”.
So if you are a provider of diagnostic services, do take a look at this opportunity – it’s for three years with the option to extend for a further 24 month period for a total of five years.
If you would like to discuss the contract notice do get in touch – we have extensive experience of advising businesses in this sector. And most recently, advised SYNLAB on various aspects of its new partnership to transform pathology services in South East London, including helping to formulate the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rhian Vandrill and Charlotte Lewis
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