GP Clinical Assessment Service - Cat 3 & 4

The South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust intends to award a contract using the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 for a GP Clinical Assessment Service - Category 3 & 4. This service aims to enable urgent care line calls to be assessed by GPs over the phone, significantly reducing unnecessary ambulance dispatches. The contract is set to be awarded via the Direct Award Process C, with an initial mandatory standstill period until 19th February 2025.

The current contract ends on 31st March 2025, with a new contract running from 1st April 2025 to 31st March 2026, and an option to extend for a further year to 31st March 2027. This tender provides substantial opportunities for SMEs, particularly those specialised in healthcare services. Businesses providing GP assessment and consultancy services would be well-suited to compete, given the need to support urgent care lines and reduce ambulance demand.

Winning this contract would aid the successful supplier in forming a strategic partnership with the NHS and demonstrate their capability in delivering critical health services across the South Central region.