Health Systems Support Framework (HSSF)

Health Systems Support Framework (formerly ACS & STP Development Partner Framework)

HSSF Refresh

• NHS England are looking to re-procure some of the services within the Health Systems Support Framework to allow for updates to its scope and to give new suppliers an opportunity to bid.
• Refresh tender documents published 14/11/2019 (deadline 16 December 2019) available here.

ACS & STP Development Partner Framework [aka LPF2]

NHS England, 15 December 2017
First tender documents here

• Tenders are open for suppliers to register to take part in the forthcoming the ACS & STP Development Partner Framework which will give commissioners and providers access to Population Health Management support. 
• This includes tools to identify patients who are at high risk of an adverse event and are likely to be amendable to a particular intervention, patient records that give clinicians across all care settings a full picture of their patient’s health and well-being; support to monitor wider system programmes; and enhanced tools to integrate clinical workflow with patient activation data to ensure patients are being treated in the right place at the right time.
• The ACS and STP Development Partner Framework will be structured around three areas:
• Infrastructure: encompassing EPR and place-based digitalisation; Local Integrated Care Records and Health Information Exchange; primary care IT support and transformation; and data management and information governance;
• Insight: population health analytics and digital tools for system modelling, planning, risk stratification and impactability, care coordination and care management.
• Impact and Intervention: transformation and change; primary care transformation; self-care, patient empowerment and activation; and system optimisation.
• Tender documents available on the NHS England e-tendering site here.

Framework renamed Health Systems Support Framework (2 February 2018)

"Local care organisation" tender

Provision of a Local Care Organisation for the City of Manchester
NHS Shared Business Services
Published 10 March, Closing date 27 April 2017

• Tender for services for a range of out of hospital health and care services for Manchester. 
• "The LCO is envisaged to operate through a 'neighbourhood model', with emphasis upon: local population health & prevention of ill health; connecting to community assets & building upon people's strengths and self-management skills; and targeted care support people's needs particularly as needs change and become more complex. "
• "a LCO for the population of Manchester with the aim of bringing together a range of health, social care and public health services to be delivered in the community."

Commissioning through Competition and Cooperation - ‘rules of the game’ are not clear

Commissioning through Competition and Cooperation
PRU Comm, June 2016

• Analysis of how commissioners in local health systems manage the interplay of competition and cooperation in their local health economies, looking at acute and community health services.
• Commissioners across the four CCG case study sites found it hard to pinpoint exactly what the rules on application of competition within the English NHS were and thus whether or not they had to change their commissioning practices in light of them
• The report includes a timeline of nationally reported key policy decisions, regulations, guidance and events pertaining to competition and cooperation in the English NHS covering the period between March 2013 and October 2015. (Appendix)
• The implications of our study for policy makers:
• "Local commissioners should be allowed to make their own decisions about which modes of commissioning are most appropriate in their particular circumstances, and in respect of particular services. Setting up nationally imposed rules about what mechanisms must be used is unhelpful (and probably will not be adhered to, in fact). It appears that in most circumstances, the use of cooperative modes of coordination are likely to be more appropriate. Fortunately, the recent policy developments under the 5YFV indicate this is the direction of travel. At the same time, it is important to clarify the rules of the game for local actors. It may be politically unpalatable, but the regulatory framework of the HSCA 2012 needs revisiting."

Lead Provider Framework update

Framework Agreement for Commissioning Support Services
NHS England, 8 January 2014, Updated 6 August 2014

• This framework agreement aims to enable CCGs and other commissioners to access suppliers directly, without having to undertake costly and lengthy procurements. 
• The Framework is divided into the following Lots: 
• Lot 1 - End-to-end Commissioning Support Services including: • Business Support Services; • Healthcare Procurement and Provider Management; • Service Transformation and Redesign; • Communications and Patient and Public Engagement; • Business Intelligence 
• Lot 2 - Specialist Decision Support Services. This Lot is further divided into two Sub-lots as follows: 
• Lot 2A - Medicines Management and Optimisation 
• Lot 2B - Individual Funding Request Case Management, Supporting the Commissioning of Continuing Healthcare and Funded Nursing Care. 
• The LPF will allow CCGs to source either end to end commissioning support or discreet services from the best in class providers. It will increase choice for commissioners but it will remain simple when CCGs and others call-off different services from the framework.
• See the : Lead provider framework scope 
• For more details see the lead provider framework e-tendering portal.

Update 6 August 2014

• 16 bidders successfully met the PQQ quality assessment criteria for Lot 1 end-to-end support services and have been invited to progress to this final Invitation to Tender (ITT) assessment stage. This includes all nine NHS Commissioning Support Units (CSUs) who submitted bids and seven non-NHS organisations.
• 26 bidders met the quality criteria for Lot 2a and 2b (medicines management and supporting the assessment of Continuing Healthcare and Individual Funding Requests).