Antipsychotic Medication Reviews

Provision of an antipsychotic prescribing and drug safety monitoring service for patients registered with a GP in Devon

The primary aim of this service is to provide ongoing prescribing of antipsychotic medications and drug safety monitoring for patients across NHS Devon with an initial requirement for up to 120 patients. The provider will:

• Ensure ongoing drug safety monitoring and prescribing including appropriate blood tests and ECGs and informed by NICE guidelines
• Ensure that any concerns related to the person's mental health are appropriately escalated to the secondary mental health provider.
• Issue prescription that will be dispended by the patient's local pharmacy.

It is anticipated that after an initial review, 1-2 months prescription lengths would be required, with a 12 month annual review. However, the provider must use clinical judgement, informed by NICE guidance, to determine the physical health monitoring needs of the individual and safe length of prescription.

The ICB envisages care being delivered as close to home as possible, however this could include the service being delivered remotely, with the preferred remote method of contact being agreed with the patient. Where the service is delivered remotely it is anticipated that the primary method will be via Teams (or an equivalent system for safe virtual delivery) and the provider will take reasonable steps to support the patient in the utilisation of IT where advice and guidance may be required e.g. easy to read, jargon free instructions. Should digital poverty or IT connectivity prevent use of virtual delivery, the provider needs to have mitigations available.

This notice is an intention to award a contract under the Provider Selection Regime Most Suitable Provider process.

This is a new service and the award is to an existing contracted provider

The contract term is for a period 12 months. The cost of the service will be based on activity with an anticipated annual cost of approximately £945 per patient where a face to face consultation is required and £645 per patient where a virtual consultation is undertaken. There maybe additional costs payable for diagnostic tests