Agenda item

15.1     The Committee considered a report on the delivery of the Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service (NEPTS) and the ongoing re-commissioning of the service. NEPTS is an eligibility driven service that is a statutory obligation for NHS commissioners to provide to transport patients to and from their healthcare appointments.

15.2     The Committee asked how NHS Sussex could guarantee the new provider would be able to deliver the service, given previous problems with the last procurement.

15.3     Maggie Keating, NHS Sussex Urgent and Emergency Care Programme Director recognised the previous problems from the previous procurement, and explained that there had been significant market and patient engagement throughout the creation of the new service specification. As a result of this and learning from the previous procurement NHS was in a strong position to avoid a similar problem with the new procurement.

15.4     The Committee noted that some people felt the eligibility criteria for NEPTS was set too high, which created issues for those on the borderline of being eligible and where services had been moved to single sites through reconfiguration.

15.5     Maggie Keating explained that the new national eligibility criteria had been subject to public consultations and should make more people eligible for the service. Part of the new service specification required the provider to signpost patients who weren’t eligible to a suitable alternative. The availability of voluntary sector support was inconsistent across Sussex, but NHS Sussex had worked with it to increase volunteer capacity, and ensure that as part of the new model patients would be assisted to find their own ways to healthcare settings.

15.6     The Committee asked how bidders would be evaluated on their capacity to meet the new service specifications, and what due diligence there would be to ensure the financial robustness of bidders.

15.7     Maggie Keating confirmed that these all formed parts of the information to tender questions that potential providers were asked as part of the bidding process to ensure they were organisations capable of delivering the service. Bidders were first evaluated on their organisational viability to ensure they met financial and legal thresholds that assured they were capable of delivering in an appropriate way. NHS Sussex were not prescriptive of the service operating model, meaning sub-contractors could potentially be used, however bidders were required to have the arrangements in place prior to the contract being agreed.

15.8     The Committee asked what review processes were in place for once the contract had been awarded.

15.9     Maggie Keating confirmed there were Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) running through the contract that would be looked at as standard contract management mechanisms.

15.10   The Committee asked how net zero ambitions would be built into the contract to ensure they were delivered on, and what would be done if the provider failed to meet the targets.

15.11   Maggie Keating confirmed that there was a very clear requirement for the provider to reach net zero delivery by the end of the contract in 2035, and a trajectory for achieving this target over the course of the contract. If the chosen provider failed to meet the mid-contract targets this would be dealt with through standard contract management mechanisms, placing the provider on a recovery path and use contractual mechanisms to put them back on course to deliver the contract specifications.

15.12   The Committee asked for some more information on work that had already been done with the voluntary sector in East Sussex, and the contractual mechanisms in place for working with voluntary sector organisations.

15.13   Maggie Keating explained that providers were required to work with partner organisations, including the voluntary sector, as part of the contract delivery, and working with them was seen as important for success. As part of the national pathfinder programme, NHS Sussex had worked with Haven Cars to develop advertising materials to recruit additional volunteer drivers. Providers were required to take the lead in developing relationships with voluntary sector organisations to ensure they are able to meet the totality of patient need.

15.14   The Committee asked if there was more than one NEPTS system currently operating.

15.15   Maggie Keating confirmed that South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) provided the NHS Sussex NEPTS Service, but because there were gaps in the commissioning for certain services including dynamic discharge and inter-facility transfer, acute trusts had secured private provider provision to deliver the services that SCAS were not commissioned to deliver but which were now required.

15.16   The Committee asked how updates on their transport would be communicated to those who did not have mobile phones.

15.17   Maggie Keating recognised that not everyone had mobile phones, and this can be addressed through the single point of access. The needs of all patient groups will be considered in conversations with the provider, as well as part of a wider system response on how to support particular patient cohorts to get the best out of all of their healthcare provision.

15.18   The Committee RESOLVED to:

1) note the report; and

2) receive an update on the procurement of the NEPTS after the contract had been awarded in January 2024. Maggie Keating also confirmed that the HOSC could also receive an update on the mobilisation of the contract as part of that update report.