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Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire CCG community health services: including the VCSE sector
Supporting Voluntary and Community Action
The Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) for Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) is currently commissioning new health services for 900,000 local people. It has agreed that some of the new services will be sub-contracted to Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector organisation to the value of £3.18 million per year of the £106 million per year contract. Whilst the CCG is seeking a single provider for its community health services bid, sub-contractors will be a vital part of this.
The CCG’s decision is a welcome change to the way services are commissioned, as the £3.18 million will fund organisations working at the heart of communities and keep people healthy and independent for as long as possible. It should also relieve the pressure on GPs and hospitals, and it fits in with the aims of the NHS Five Year Forward View, which called for closer partnerships between the VCSE sector, the NHS and local government.
Doctor Kate Rush, GP and Programme Director for the local Clinical Commissioning Group, said:
“We know that people do better when they’re treated closer to home, and have the services available to keep them healthy, well and independent. Our new approach will support patients to stay well, treat problems quickly, and help reduce demand for hospital and other healthcare services.”
Voscur supported the CCG to plan this commissioning change, and will now support VCSE organisations and bidders to win the CCG contract. The new community health services provider would begin working with the public in April 2020.
Sandra Meadows, Chief Executive of Voscur, said:
“We believe that CCG services will be more effective, people and communities will be better supported and that the whole system will be improved as a result of embedding community services in local CCG contracting. Anyone who needs to access community health services can then receive joined-up local care.”
As the support and development agency for the local VCSE sector, Voscur has plenty of experience advising sub-contractor bids and bridging the gap between commissioners and community organisations. Find out more about our commissioning work here.
Voscur coordinated events to help VCSE organisations and bidders prepare for the process. These events gave you the chance to ask questions about the competitive bidding, how to perfect your application, and where your services fit into the bigger picture.
Getting a Subcontract - Part 1
Wednesday 23 January 2019, 1pm-4pm
Topics included the structure and processes of subcontracts, and drawing up a Memorandum of Understanding.
Getting a Subcontract – Part 2 (Please note this session is only suitable for participants of part 1).
Wednesday 6 February 2019, 10am-1pm
Topics included delivery models, legal contracts and joint working agreements.
Notice about Meet the Bidders (29/1/19)
Thanks for the enquiries about the Meet the Bidders event (29/1/19). Due to lack of bookings, we cancelled the event one week before and notified those that had booked.
We are aware that VCSE organisations want to know about bidders and we have asked the CCG for that information, or for details of how the market is being facilitated. Apart from what is known about current contract-holders (Bristol Community Health, North Somerset Community Partnership, Sirona Care & Health), knowledge of the bidders and provider market is held by the CCG. We are advising interested parties to ask the CCG and/or to make contact with the current contract-holders.