NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) has recently released the ‘Elective Recovery Combined Framework Agreement Solution’, which groups four framework agreements.
The framework provides additional capacity to help see more patients, more quickly within a trust, with the option of utilising out of hours care providers.
It includes artificial intelligence imaging and teleradiology services too, helping to speed up diagnosis and release resources to focus on patient care.
The framework solution includes artificial intelligence imaging and teleradiology services too, helping to speed up diagnosis and release resources to focus on patient care.
We have outlined the framework agreements below so you can decide what works best for your trust:
Insourcing clinical services
First up, this framework focuses on growing patient backlogs, elective recovery budgets being cut, lack of resources and an aging population is putting increased strain on NHS services.
The ‘Insourcing of Clinical Services Framework Agreement’ enables the use of insourcing support services across the NHS, securing additional clinical capacity to help meet increased demand.
It is active from 1 July 2023 to 2 July 2027, and all NHS organisations can use it.
Users can bring in a third-party provider who utilises a trust’s premises out of hours, during the weekend and in the evening, and uses equipment that would normally be dormant.
For the patient, there is no difference – they are still seen at their hospital, and they receive quicker care. In most cases, insourcing simply extends the trust’s existing clinical service.
Insourcing is a short to medium term solution that allows you to retain capacity planning in-house, ensuring that patients can be seen within the trust.
The ‘Insourcing of Clinical Services Framework Agreement’ forms a wider solution designed to support elective recovery within the NHS.
One benefit of this framework is that providers can bring forward new services throughout the duration of the agreement. It also features an approved list of providers who have been evaluated on quality and price.
Clinical managed services
Also included is the ‘Clinical Managed Services including Managed Maintenance Services Framework Agreement.’ It offers a wide range of clinical services, and runs from 8 January 2024 to 7 January 2028.
It can provide managed services that will include products, maintenance, supporting services, and staff to operate devices to help increase the volume of patients that can be seen.
For example, diagnostic imaging including devices, training, maintenance, and other services and resources that can lead procedures.
The framework agreement can help with updating the equipment and includes product refresh options as part of the managed service. It is a comprehensive framework agreement with a choice of suppliers across a range of key clinical spend areas, including those referenced in the Lord Carter of Coles’ 2016 report.
The ‘Clinical Managed Services Framework Agreement’ forms a wider solution designed to support elective recovery within the NHS.
Lot 1 includes a range of specialities and areas of expertise and will be delivered across a range of healthcare settings.
This is including but not limited to: pathology; diagnostic imaging, interventional radiology, cath labs, cardiology and radiotherapy (including mobile imaging); endoscopy – flexible and rigid including decontamination equipment; renal – continuous renal replacement therapy including outsourcing and home dialysis; operating theatres – including all equipment and furniture (operating tables), pre op and post op rooms; ward and clinical departments.
This lot offers managed service solutions from OEM, vendor neutral (VN) suppliers.
Lot 2 is for managed maintenance services, and provides services ranging from maintenance of specified manufacturers’ equipment to a fully outsourced medical engineering (EBME) function.
Reporting services teleradiology
The ‘Reporting Services: Teleradiology’ framework means suppliers can aid in reducing reliance on overnight shifts within teleradiology, helping reduce stresses placed on departments, safeguarding clinician wellbeing and improving patient care.
It runs from 18 August 2023 to 17 August 2027, and all public sector bodies can use it.
The framework covers the provision of emergency, routine, specialist and backlog teleradiology reporting. It also covers service provision 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, the provision of both insourced on-site services and outsourced reporting services.
Reporting on CT, MRI and Plain film reporting services are also included.
One of the main benefits of this framework is the wide coverage, as it offers both insourced and outsourced teleradiology services. It also enables approved organisations to increase capacity to meet increased national and local demands.
AI, imaging and radiotherapy equipment
This final framework supports the development of AI to transform the NHS’ ability to prevent, diagnose, treat, and manage disease in order to support a shift towards better prevention, health and wellbeing.
Using AI is an enabler for rapid diagnosis via technology, which results in improved diagnosis, frees up resources, and is more efficient in both cost and resource, which leads to better patient outcomes and helps with Elective Recovery.
It runs from 14 September 2021 to 13 September 2025, and any NHS and public sector organisation can use it.
There are 18 Lots included. Via the ‘AI, Imaging and Radiotherapy Equipment, Associated Products and Diagnostic Imaging Framework Agreement’, AI looks to capture methods and processes that can improve diagnostics, assist, and relieve workloads for a wide range of clinical staff.
AI software allows radiology to carry on out of hours without the radiologist being on site, reducing the burden. It also covers full body scanning, with a focus on chest and head.
The demand for diagnostic imaging is expected to increase by 10 per cent to 12 per cent year on year, linked to improving outcomes and increasing demands on the health service.
The requirement to deliver better and faster diagnosis in an environment of increasing demand will require the NHS to increase capacity whilst working against financial constraints – this framework agreement can help you to achieve this.
One of the benefits of this agreement is that the solutions are cloud hardware and software compatible. Also, there is a minimum year-long warranty.
