Specialist Healthcare Tasks

Location

Chelmsford

Description

The existing Specialist Healthcare Tasks Service was jointly commissioned in 2003 to ensure that children and young people with identified medical needs access the community and enjoy the same opportunities as their peers. It is expected that the service will be provided to a range of staff working with these young people, including Special Educational Needs School transport providers, identified Essex Social Care staff, short break Foster Carers, Education staff supporting children with medical needs in local schools and settings; and workers supporting young people who access Essex short breaks.

Total Quantity or Scope

This contract is sought to be awarded under PSR 2023 Direct Award Process C with a lifetime value of £532,586. The Specialist Healthcare Tasks Service should deliver good quality competency-based healthcare training, assessment and delegation to support workers in order to meet the bespoke care needs of children and young people that will enable them to access and attend a range of settings and make progress in education. Staff delivering the training must have the appropriate clinical competence to train, assess and delegate delivery of healthcare tasks to support workers. All training, assessment and delegation should be underpinned by an evidence-based methodology and process which complies with all relevant professional standards. The provider of the service will also ensure there is a robust governance framework in which to deliver all aspects of this service. (NB: this list is not exhaustive and will be reviewed regularly between provider and commissioners) • Administering medicine in accordance with prescribed medicine, with pre-calculated dosage provided via naso-gastric tube, gastrostomy tube, orally or applied to skin, eyes and/or ears. • Injections (intramuscular or subcutaneous). These may be single dose or multiple dose devices which are pre-assembled with pre-determined amounts of medication to be administered as documented in the individual child's care plan (preloaded devices should be marked when to beadministered e.g. for diabetes where the dose might be different am or pm. In many circumstances there may be two different pens, one with short acting insulin and another for administration at night with long acting insulin). • Inserting suppositories or pessaries with a pre-packaged dose of a pre-prescribed medicine. • Rectal medication with a pre-packaged dose i.e. rectal diazepam. • Rectal paraldehyde which is not pre-packaged and has to be prepared - permitted on a named child basis as agreed by the child's lead medical practitioner i.e. Pediatrician or GP. • Administration of buccal or intra-nasal Midazolam and Hypo Stat or Gluco Gel. • Assistance with inhalers, cartridges and nebulisers. • Emergency treatments covered in basic first aid training including airway management. • Tracheostomy care for a stable stoma including suction using a suction catheter. • Emergency change of a tracheostomy tube. • Nasal or oral suctioning and nasal/oro pharangeal suction to a prescribed depth . This should be prescribed by a doctor, children's respiratory nurse specialist or a paediatric respiratory physiotherapist. • Use of cough assist devices when prescribed as part of a respiratory care plan. • Assistance with prescribed oxygen administration including oxygen saturation monitoring where required. • Administration and care of liquid oxygen administration. • Ventilation care for a child with a predictable medical condition and stable ventilation requirements (both invasive and non-invasive ventilation). • Blood glucose monitoring and carbohydrate counting as agreed by the child's lead nursing/medical practitioner. E.g. GP, Pediatrician, Children's Diabetes Nurse Specialist. • Bolus or continuous feeds via naso-gastric tube or gastrostomy. • Bolus or continuous feeds using a pump via gastrostomy or jejunostomy. • Intermittent catheterisation and catheter care. • Supporting a child/young person to access a mitrofanoff. • Stoma care including the requirement to maintain patency of a stoma in an emergency situation prior to seeking advice from the registered nurse.* Please note this list is not exhaustive and only includes some of the most common clinical tasks which require competency training

Award Detail

Award Criteria

CPV Codes

• 85141220 - Advisory services provided by nurses

Indicators

• Award on basis of price and quality.

Legal Justification

Please note that the specified reference number for the contract award notice is a dummy reference in line with the NHS England guidance for services whereby no reference number is available or unable to be linked to current notice. The prior notice Publication reference is: 2025/S 000-022661. This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intention to award notice. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Procurement Act 2023 do not apply to this award. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period. Representations by providers must be made to the relevant authority by 18/11/2025 to email of jake.berridge@essex.gov.uk. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR. This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) confirmation of contract award notice. This contract is intended to be awarded under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Procurement Act 2023 do not apply to this award. This contract is sought to be formally awarded using direct award process C.

Other Information

This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intention to award notice. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Procurement Act 2023 do not apply to this award. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period. Representations by providers must be made to decision makers by 18/11/2025 . This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR. jake.berridge@essex.gov.uk The Award decision-maker is: Christopher Martin - Director of Strategic Commissioning & Policy (Children & Families) Conflicts of interest identified among working group: 0. The non-conflicted members have assessed the nature and risk of this conflict, and have decided which steps to take to avoid or manage it. [Potential steps may include: excluding the conflicted member from related discussions, excluding the conflicted member from decision-making, delegating the matter to a sub-committee of non-conflicted decision-makers, or seeking independent advice to help make the decision. This list is illustrative rather than exhaustive.]