Block-booked Pathway 3 End of Life Beds Exeter

Location

This service is intended to support the expedited discharge of end of life patients from Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. As such the provider will need to provide the beds in Exeter, have appropriate equipment in place to safely care for the proposed cohort and have rooms that are accessible by both public and private transport. The preference is to procure one supplier for a minimum of seven beds but it may be possible to consider breaking this up to two separate contracts if there is strong reason to do so.

Description

NHS Devon is assessing options in relation to a likely procurement for block-booked Pathway 3 beds, primarily for End of Life care and based in Exeter.

Total Quantity or Scope

NHS Devon is exploring options in relation to the procurement approach for a number of block-booked beds for end of life care in Exeter, supporting expediting discharges from Royal Devon and Exeter hospital. The intention is to seek a single provider who: • Is registered to provide nursing care (i.e. a nursing home/homes) and/ or has agreed to the ICB nursing and DCC core contract • Has a minimum CQC rating of 'good' overall • Has a registered nurse on site 24 hours a day • Can provide a block of a minimum of seven beds for a six-month period, to commence as soon as possible on conclusion of the procurement • Is accepting of the fee rate within the Devon County Council's older person's fee model • Is able to provide compassionate end of life care, or, by commissioner agreement, care for other patients requiring discharge under the Pathway 3 arrangements (for example where there are voids and no suitable EoL cases) The provider must: • Provide the beds in Exeter • Have appropriate equipment in place to safely care for the proposed cohort • Have rooms that are accessible by both public and private transport • Be accepting of the 'Trusted Assessor' model - accept the assessment of the hospital team The expectation would be for less than 5% voids (with a possible sliding scale of payment based on the length of time any beds were empty) and for transfers to take place within 24 hours of a referral being received if the patient is suitable. This is initially likely to be a short (6 month) contract to test the impact. Options to split provision across 2 providers will be considered following responses to this PIN if it appears this will offer the best outcomes.

CPV Codes

• 85144100 - Residential nursing care services

Indicators

Other Information

This is a Prior Information Notice intended to alert the market to the potential opportunity and establish the level of interested in the services as outlined. The final procurement approach will then be established based on the level of interest and further information shared at this stage as appropriate. The ICB asks that any provider interested in this contracting opportunity confirm this interest by Midday on Friday 22nd March 2026 at the latest. Please confirm interest by email to d-icb.contracting@nhs.net quoting the reference at the start of this notice - QJK_P3 EOL Exeter_May 26. In this initial response please confirm the organisation would be able to meet the initial requirements set out above and the number and location of beds potentially available in Exeter. As above, please ensure any expressions of interest in this opportunity are submitted by email to d-icb.contracting@nhs.net quoting the reference QJK_P3 EOL Exeter_May 26. In this initial response please confirm the organisation would be able to meet the initial requirements set out above and the number and location of beds potentially available in Exeter.