Many of you will be aware of the work undertaken by BIVDA and members over the last six months to make the case to DHSC for improving the approach to the procurement of Pathology Managed Services in the NHS. This has now culminated in a “call for evidence” launched last week by DHSC.
This call for evidence will be the first in a two-part process. It is aimed at identifying areas of focus, with a specific interest in existing examples of good practice that could be scaled up covering (a) end-to-end procurement process, (b) contract structure, and (c) contract management.
Respondents are invited to comment on each up to a character limit of 2,400 (~400 words). The call for evidence is formed of a series of open questions, which have been developed through engagement with NHS pathology departments, NHSE and industry trade associations. Your responses will inform a DRAFT ‘strawman’ discussion document, which will also be shared for comment with the intent to develop this into Standard Guidance.
Please note, this survey is not anonymous, however attributable responses will not be shared outside of DHSC. If you have any questions or concerns about how DHSC will manage responses, please contact medtech@dhsc.gov.uk in the first instance.
This initial call for evidence uses the MS Office forms survey that can be found Pathology Managed Service Contracts – Initial call for evidence and will close on 5th September.
BIVDA will submit a response but it is vital that members also respond individually to ensure that we are demonstrating the size, scale and diversity of the current challenges. Beth Loudon will be contacting members directly to provide support on completing the call for evidence if needed, but please do also get in touch if you have any immediate queries at Beth.loudon@bivda.org.uk.
