Cambridgeshire and Peterborough clinical commissioning group (CCG) has chosen UnitingCare Partnership to take on a £800 million community and older people’s services contract.
UnitingCare Partnership is a consortium made up of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough foundation trust (FT) with Cambridge University Hospitals FT.
The organisation was selected after a 15-month service redesign and procurement process to find a Lead Provider for older people’s healthcare and adult community services.
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough clinical commissioning group (CCG) has chosen UnitingCare Partnership to take on a £800 million community and older people’s services contract.
UnitingCare Partnership is a consortium made up of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough foundation trust (FT) with Cambridge University Hospitals FT.
The organisation was selected after a 15-month service redesign and procurement process to find a Lead Provider for older people’s healthcare and adult community services.
The CCG was aiming to find an organisation that will be able to integrate services, providing more joined-up care for patients.
UnitingCare Partnership will directly provide adult community health services and hold the budget for the following services:
– Urgent care for adults aged over 65 including inpatients as well as A&E services.
– Mental Health Services for people aged over 65.
– Adult (all people over 18) community health services for example, district nursing, rehabilitation and therapy after injury or illness, speech and language therapy, care for patients with complex wounds, support for people with respiratory disease or diabetes.
– Other health services which support the care of people aged over 65.
Dr Neil Modha, chief clinical officer for the CCG said: “The aim is to have a single Lead Provider responsible for older people’s healthcare services and adult community health services, ensuring that care is more joined up than it has been, with a focus on improving the patient experience.
“The design and procurement process has allowed people from a range of organisations to come together, develop and propose solutions to some of the service problems that have challenged us for many years.”
The Strategic Projects Team were appointed in 2013 to support the design and delivery of the procurement.
Andrew MacPherson the Strategic Projects Team managing director said: “We are delighted to have contributed to more ground breaking change in the NHS and are all extremely proud of the SPT’s collaboration with Cambridge and Peterborough, their stakeholders, advisers and the providers who committed to the project.
"Commonly, NHS contracts are just one or two years in length. This contract is a unique five-year contract, giving the Lead Provider time to invest in and transform services, and develop new ways of working. We congratulate all who participated in this exciting and innovative competition.”
Following a ‘ten day stand still period’, UnitingCare Partnership will spend nearly six months preparing and putting everything in place to be able to start delivering services on 1 April 2015, the expected start date for the new older people’s pathway and adult community services.
This article was updated on 29 October 2014 to include an additional comment from Andrew MacPherson.
