Forensic Medical & Healthcare Services

This is a Contract Award Notice The provision of Forensic Medical & Healthcare Services to Cheshire Constabulary/Police & Crime Commissioner for Cheshire to provide healthcare interventions and forensic examinations on victims, suspects, witnesses and police personnel.

Within custody suites, the Service will also provide a clinical assessment of a Service User's fitness for detention, interview, charge and release in accordance with PACE and the College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice (APP) on Detention and Custody. The service requirements also includes interventions required for Test on Arrest. Developing and maintaining referral pathways is a key requirement.

The Service will provide a safe, reliable, effective, efficient and timely clinical and forensic medical and healthcare service response on a 24-hour/7-day-per-week 365/366-days-per-year basis, via a single point of contact/call centre through which the force can request a healthcare intervention. The provider will be required to have an electronic system connected to the NHS Summary Care Record.

The strategic aims of the Service are to improve health outcomes for Service Users in the criminal justice system and to contribute to the reduction of offending and/or escalation of offending behaviours by means of providing a high quality, safe, effective and best value service.

The service provider must assist in the gathering and supply of evidence for presentation at Court within scope of healthcare services including, but not limited to, obtaining blood and intimate samples, the provision of evidence of opinion in relation to injuries sustained and the provision of professional advice.

The contract will be for an initial period of 4 years commencing on 1st April 2024 with the initial term ending 31st March 2028. The options to extend will take the contract to a maximum expiry of 31st March 2031. The values shown in this notice relate to the lowest for the funding for one year up to the estimated value for the maximum contract term.

A standstill period was observed between 13/10/2023 - 23/10/2023 inclusive

The provision of Forensic Medical & Healthcare Services to Cheshire Constabulary/Police & Crime Commissioner for Cheshire to provide healthcare interventions and forensic examinations on victims, suspects, witnesses and police personnel.

Within the police custody suites, the Forensic Medical & Healthcare Service will also provide a clinical assessment of a Service User’s fitness for detention, interview, charge and release in accordance with PACE (1984) and the College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice (APP) on Detention and Custody. The service requirements also includes interventions required for Test on Arrest. Developing and maintaining referral pathways is a key requirement.

The Service will provide a safe, reliable, effective, efficient and timely clinical and forensic medical and healthcare service response on a 24-hour/7-day-per-week 365/366-days-per-year basis.

The service provider will operate a single point of contact/call centre through which the force can request a healthcare intervention at anytime of the day or night, every day of the year including all public holidays, to ask for Forensic Medical and Healthcare Services.

The strategic aims of the Forensic Medical & Healthcare Service are to improve health outcomes for Service Users in the criminal justice system and to contribute to the reduction of offending and/or escalation of offending behaviours by means of providing a high quality, safe, effective and best value service. The Specification contains full details of the aims/objectives/outcomes and requirements.

The service provider must deliver a service model that offers a comprehensive range of consultation methods that prioritise face to face but for non-urgent matters could include by agreement with custody staff, telephone and email consultations, telemedicine and digital solutions. The provider will be required to have an electronic system connected to the NHS Summary Care Record.

The service provider must assist in the gathering and supply of evidence for presentation at Court within scope of healthcare services including, but not limited to, obtaining blood and intimate samples, the provision of evidence of opinion in relation to injuries sustained and the provision of professional advice.

The service provider will be expected to provide Forensic Medical and Healthcare Services at Cheshire Constabulary locations as well as at any other locations to meet operational requirements, this may on occasion be outside the Cheshire Constabulary policing area boundary.

The contract will be for an initial period of 4 years commencing on 1st April 2024 with the initial term ending 31st March 2028. The options to extend will take the contract to a maximum expiry of 31st March 2031. The estimated maximum contract value shown in this notice relates to a period up to the maximum expiry date.

There will be a site visit opportunity on Tuesday 5th September 2023. Attendance MUST be pre-booked via the Online ITT/Message area.

Full details can be found within the Online ITT – which is constructed as an online questionnaire with supporting files in the document folder