Palliative End of Life Care Adult Rapid Response Service in Northamptonshire

A 24/7 Rapid Response nurse-led service, providing urgent specialist care and support, including symptom management and non-medical prescribing both in hours and out of hours. The service will be provided to patients who are thought to be in the last eight weeks of life, where their preferred place of care is their own home (this includes residential care homes).

This is a transparency notice for a service delivered between 14th October 2025 and 31st March 2026

A 24/7 Rapid Response nurse-led service, providing urgent specialist care and support, including symptom management and non-medical prescribing both in hours and out of hours. The service will be provided to patients who are thought to be in the last eight weeks of life, where their preferred place of care is their own home (this includes residential care homes).

This award was made in relation to an urgent circumstance to ensure the continued provision of a community rapid response end-of-life care service for Northamptonshire. The current provider was unable to provide the 24/7 rapid response element of the Countywide Community-based Specialist Level Palliative and End of Life Care Service for Adults. Without this service, people will not receive the appropriate support required to be cared for or die in their own home or in a residential care home. Patients will not receive timely advice or symptom management, acute admissions may increase, and the quality and availability of care delivery will fall, leading to potential harm and suffering.

'This contract has been awarded under the urgent circumstances provision of the Provider Selection Regime (PSR). This contract has been awarded under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this award.'