Provision of a Primary Care Flexible Staffing Pool

NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) seeks expressions of interest from suitably qualified organisations that have the necessary capability and capacity to provide a Primary Care Flexible Staffing Pool in Gloucestershire.

The 'supporting general practice' letter of 9 November 2020 referenced support for flexible pools to aid the process of recruiting and deploying GPs initially as part of the response to COVID-19 mass vaccinations. To support this aim, funding from NHSE&I was made available to each integrated care system (ICS).

The Primary Care Flexible Staffing Pool will:

 Include a Digital platform that assists, encourages and enables professionals to work flexibly, efficiently and collaboratively and can be rolled out immediately, including the ability to extend usage to other AHP's in future.  Directly address pertinent workforce challenges e.g. GP retention and attracting out-of-area Locum GPs.  Provide support and mentoring through the establishment of a GP Chambers. The GP chambers would provide peer and educational support for locums, as outlined in the guidance attached to the funding.

The awarded provider will be expected to provide a service to all of Gloucestershire's 71 practices, across 15 PCN's. Should the number of Gloucestershire practices increase during this period, the awarded provider will be expected to include them in usage of their service at no additional costs.

The Primary Care Flexible Staffing Pool solution for Gloucestershire must:  Demonstrate tangible benefits to GP Locums*, practices, and patients within Gloucestershire  Address existing workforce challenges faced by practices within in the county e.g. GP availability for vacant sessions, GP Locum support, Practice administration and costs;  Provide a 'ready-made/to go' digital solution that assists, encourages and enables GP Locums* to work with flexibility, efficiency and ease;  Deliver an overarching solution that encourages local GP Locums* to stay in county to work and encourages out of county GP Locums* to work within Gloucestershire;  Support practices and Primary Care Networks in optimising vacant GP* session fill for the overall benefit of local patients and their families;  Support practices in geographies that find it difficult to recruit GP Locums* to optimise booking into vacant sessions  Provide a solution that is flexible to adapt to future requirements and a changing primary care landscape.

The total costs of the service must come to no more than £125,000 excl of VAT over the contract duration.

Organisations interested in providing this service should register on the In-Tend e-procurement portal (https://in-tendhost.co.uk/gloucestershireccg) and express interest no later than 5pm, Friday 21 January 2022.

Completed ITT submissions must be returned via the In-Tend portal no later than noon, Friday 28 January 2022.