Trusts, council and GPs battle for £80m new care model contract

Scarborough and Ryedale Clinical Commissioning Group has named the three organisations shortlisted for its seven year, £80m multispecialty community provider contract.

Commissioners have also has also revealed York Teaching Hospital FT, the current community services provider, has chosen not to bid for the contract.

The organisations shortlisted for the next stage of the procurement process are:

• Humber FT;
• County Durham and Darlington FT; and
• a consortium formed by North Yorkshire county council and a federation of six local GP practices called East Coast Health Options Community Interest Company.

The contract includes all adult community services and the successful bidder is expected to be announced in the autumn, with a view that the contract will go live in April 2018.

HSJ reported last week that the CCG had scaled back its original ambition to procure a £1.3bn, 10 year MCP contract.

CCG chief officer Simon Cox said: “We note the decision taken by York Teaching Hospital FT – our current service provider – to not take part in the tendering exercise. We recognise the trust’s decision may create additional uncertainty, both for patients and for its hard working, committed staff who currently deliver service on our community.

“As a result we wish to reassure patients, carers, staff and other stakeholders that in evaluating the procurement exercise we will take into account a number of factors, including continued well led service delivery, improvements for patients and carers, the need to protect the employment rights of any existing staff who might transfer to a new provider and the requirement to have a well planned, safe service transition.

“We also acknowledge that York Teaching Hospital FT has stated that whoever wins the contract for our community services can be assured of their ongoing commitment to work in partnership to continue the development of out of hospital care.”