Awarded· 1 Nov 2025
Specialist Medicines Service
NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board · Ipswich, East
NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board has awarded Specialist Medicines Service. It is a contract for other health and social care in Ipswich.
Source: Find a Tender, published 12 Jan 2026. Details are refreshed every 30 minutes.
Key dates
2025
Contract awarded
2025
Award notice published
Award Notice · 15:19
View notice2026
Tender notice updated
Tender Notice · 09:46
View notice
About this tender
In brief
NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board has awarded Specialist Medicines Service. It is a contract for other health and social care in Ipswich. It was awarded on 1 November 2025. The contract value is £14,444. It is split across 3 lots.
It is run as an award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition. Find a Tender published it on 12 January 2026. The notice number is 002115-2026. The OCDS ID is ocds-h6vhtk-05da15.
Summary of the contracting process
The Specialist Medicines Service contract, awarded by the NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board, focuses on supporting the supply of essential medication for Palliative and End of Life Care and the treatment of Clostridioides difficile within the health services category. This contract is significant for the regions of Suffolk and North East Essex, operating from 1st November 2025 to 31st March 2026.
It has been awarded under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023, using the direct award process outlined in these regulations. This procurement, classified as a 'services' category under CPV 85100000, involves key operational dates including a contract award date of 4th November 2025.
It includes the commitment to maintaining stocks of specified medications by pharmacies and ensuring accessibility during all normal operating hours, alongside offering guidance to users and professionals. This tender provides substantial opportunities for SMEs in the pharmaceutical sector.
The notice in full
The service aims to support the responsive and effective supply of essential medication for Palliative and End of Life Care (PEoLC) and the treatment of Clostridioides difficile (also known as Clostridium difficile, C. difficile or C. diff). This is a type of bacteria that can cause diarrhoea. The demand for palliative care treatments and the relevant antibiotics, vancomycin or fidaxomicin, may be urgent and/or unpredictable.
The service will operate during all normal opening hours for the community pharmacy and/or any locally commissioned extended hours e.g., Public/Bank holiday rota. The pharmacy contractor(s) (provider) will stock minimum stock levels of a locally agreed list of drugs and will make a commitment to ensure those users of this service have prompt access to these medicines.
The pharmacy will provide information and advice to the user, carer and clinician as required. Pharmacy teams should refer to the joint Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS)/Marie Curie UK Quality Improvement (Daffodil) Standards for support in continual improvement of their palliative and end of life care arrangements. They may also refer to the specialist palliative care advice lines at the local hospices within SNEE.
The pharmacy will maintain stocks of the specified list of medicines required to deliver this service and will dispense these in response to NHS prescriptions presented. The stock levels may be requested where there have been reports of failure to hold minimum stocks. The pharmacy will be expected to hold the minimum stock level unless there is evidence of drugs being dispensed and awaiting stock replenishment.
The pharmacy will be expected to report stock levels on a quarterly basis and will receive remuneration for each report submitted. Providers should seek to maintain adequate stocks of medication in line with local demand and in anticipation of reduced wholesaler deliveries, e.g., weekends, bank holiday periods.
Lots (3)
- 01
Provision for North East Essex AllianceCancelled
The aim of this service is to ensure the availability of medication used for palliative and end of life care and the treatment of c.difficile across Suffolk and North East Essex, the demand for which may be urgent and/or unpredictable.
The service is designed to improve access to these medicines for patients, carers and healthcare professionals when they are required, in order to ensure that there is no delay to treatment whilst also providing choice.
This service aims to ensure the provision of medication for Palliative and End of Life Care (PEoLC) and the treatment of c.difficile at all times whilst the pharmacy is open, from selected commissioned pharmacies within Suffolk and North East Essex. The service will operate during all normal opening hours for the community pharmacy and/or any locally commissioned extended hours e.g., Public/Bank holiday rota.
The pharmacy contractor (provider) will stock minimum stock levels of a locally agreed list of drugs and will make a commitment to ensure those users of this service have prompt access to these medicines. SNEE Integrated Care Board (ICB) may review the medication list and amend in accordance with advice and guidance which the provider must order, if not stocked, with immediate effect.
Providers will be formally notified in writing by the ICB. If items are to be removed from the list, the ICB will continue to honour the date expiry compensation for that product whilst the contract is in place. The ICB will not be liable to provide funding for expired stock if ordered above the agreed minimum quantities.
NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board are awarding the contract named within this notice under the Direct Award C process which is outlined within the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023.
The provider named in this notice is an existing provider and has been reviewed through a Key Criteria assessment to ensure the awarding body is satisfied with current performance and reasonably expects the provider to be able to satisfy the contract which is the subject of this notice.
The contract which is the subject of this notice has not changed considerably when compared with the existing / previous contract delivered by the named provider. The ICB may wish to introduce additional services during the lifetime of the contract ("Contract modifications"). Such contract modifications will be contemplated where additional requirements are similar and or complementary to the services already included in the Specification, at any given time.
Such expansion would be by the addition of services commissioned by the Authority as named in the Contract Notice. To this end, after the award of contract, there is a possibility that the contract may be varied as allowable in accordance with the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023.
- 02
Provision for Ipswich and East Suffolk Alliance areaCancelled
The aim of this service is to ensure the availability of medication used for palliative and end of life care and the treatment of c.difficile across Suffolk and North East Essex, the demand for which may be urgent and/or unpredictable.
The service is designed to improve access to these medicines for patients, carers and healthcare professionals when they are required, in order to ensure that there is no delay to treatment whilst also providing choice.
This service aims to ensure the provision of medication for Palliative and End of Life Care (PEoLC) and the treatment of c.difficile at all times whilst the pharmacy is open, from selected commissioned pharmacies within Suffolk and North East Essex. The service will operate during all normal opening hours for the community pharmacy and/or any locally commissioned extended hours e.g., Public/Bank holiday rota.
The pharmacy contractor (provider) will stock minimum stock levels of a locally agreed list of drugs and will make a commitment to ensure those users of this service have prompt access to these medicines. SNEE Integrated Care Board (ICB) may review the medication list and amend in accordance with advice and guidance which the provider must order, if not stocked, with immediate effect.
Providers will be formally notified in writing by the ICB. If items are to be removed from the list, the ICB will continue to honour the date expiry compensation for that product whilst the contract is in place. The ICB will not be liable to provide funding for expired stock if ordered above the agreed minimum quantities.
NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board are awarding the contract named within this notice under the Direct Award C process which is outlined within the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023.
The provider named in this notice is an existing provider and has been reviewed through a Key Criteria assessment to ensure the awarding body is satisfied with current performance and reasonably expects the provider to be able to satisfy the contract which is the subject of this notice.
The contract which is the subject of this notice has not changed considerably when compared with the existing / previous contract delivered by the named provider. The ICB may wish to introduce additional services during the lifetime of the contract ("Contract modifications"). Such contract modifications will be contemplated where additional requirements are similar and or complementary to the services already included in the Specification, at any given time.
Such expansion would be by the addition of services commissioned by the Authority as named in the Contract Notice. To this end, after the award of contract, there is a possibility that the contract may be varied as allowable in accordance with the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023.
- 03
Provision for West Suffolk Alliance areaCancelled
The aim of this service is to ensure the availability of medication used for palliative and end of life care and the treatment of c.difficile across Suffolk and North East Essex, the demand for which may be urgent and/or unpredictable.
The service is designed to improve access to these medicines for patients, carers and healthcare professionals when they are required, in order to ensure that there is no delay to treatment whilst also providing choice.
This service aims to ensure the provision of medication for Palliative and End of Life Care (PEoLC) and the treatment of c.difficile at all times whilst the pharmacy is open, from selected commissioned pharmacies within Suffolk and North East Essex. The service will operate during all normal opening hours for the community pharmacy and/or any locally commissioned extended hours e.g., Public/Bank holiday rota.
The pharmacy contractor (provider) will stock minimum stock levels of a locally agreed list of drugs and will make a commitment to ensure those users of this service have prompt access to these medicines. SNEE Integrated Care Board (ICB) may review the medication list and amend in accordance with advice and guidance which the provider must order, if not stocked, with immediate effect.
Providers will be formally notified in writing by the ICB. If items are to be removed from the list, the ICB will continue to honour the date expiry compensation for that product whilst the contract is in place. The ICB will not be liable to provide funding for expired stock if ordered above the agreed minimum quantities.
NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board are awarding the contract named within this notice under the Direct Award C process which is outlined within the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023.
The provider named in this notice is an existing provider and has been reviewed through a Key Criteria assessment to ensure the awarding body is satisfied with current performance and reasonably expects the provider to be able to satisfy the contract which is the subject of this notice.
The contract which is the subject of this notice has not changed considerably when compared with the existing / previous contract delivered by the named provider. The ICB may wish to introduce additional services during the lifetime of the contract ("Contract modifications"). Such contract modifications will be contemplated where additional requirements are similar and or complementary to the services already included in the Specification, at any given time.
Such expansion would be by the addition of services commissioned by the Authority as named in the Contract Notice. To this end, after the award of contract, there is a possibility that the contract may be varied as allowable in accordance with the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023.
Key facts
Contract
- Service
- Other health and social care
- Procurement type
- Standard
- Category
- Services
- Contract period
- Not specified - Not specified
- Lots
- 3
- Number of suppliers
- 16
Procedure
- Notice type
- Tender Notice
- Procurement method
- Limited
- Procedure
- Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
- Current stage
- Award
- Stages so far
- Tender, Award
- Published on
- Find a Tender Service
- Awardee scale
- Large, SME
Values
- Contracts value
- £14,444
Not stated in the notice: tender value, lots value, awards value.
Status
- Tender
- Complete
- Lots
- Cancelled
- Awards
- Active
- Contracts
- Active
References
- Find a Tender notice
- 002115-2026
- Open Contracting ID
- ocds-h6vhtk-05da15
- CPV code
- 85100000 - Health services
- CPV division
- 85 - Health and social work services
Location
- Local authority
- Ipswich
- Town
- Ipswich
- Postcode
- IP1 2BX
- Electoral ward
- Gipping
- Constituency
- Ipswich
- Delivery area
- Suffolk CC, TLH34 Essex Haven Gateway
- Region
- East
- Sub-region
- Ipswich
- Area
- Suffolk
- Country
- England
Buyer
Contracting authority
- Organisation
- NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board
- Category
- Services
- Address
- Ipswich, IP1 2BX · East · England
Not stated in the notice: contact, phone.
Documents and links
Questions about Specialist Medicines Service
Who won the Specialist Medicines Service contract?
The award notice does not name the supplier. The full record is in the official notice linked on this page.
How much is the Specialist Medicines Service contract worth?
The contract value is £14,444, split across 3 lots.
Who is the buyer for Specialist Medicines Service?
NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board, based in Ipswich, East.
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