Bath, North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board is advertising a contract worth around £1.8bn in what will represent a major shake-up of community health services, and the biggest such deal from an ICB so far.
The ICB and local authorities are seeking a “sole provider or consortium of providers with a nominated lead” to deliver all adult and children’s community health services from March 2025, for a maximum of nine years.
At present the area’s community health services are split across five separate contracts, which includes a contract with HCRG Care Group; commissioners said they would not extend this contract after its predecessor Virgin Care was bought by private equity providers — but have now extended until March 2025.
Other current providers include Great Western Hospitals Foundation Trust, a partnership of three trusts serving Wiltshire, and Oxford Health FT.
Full story in the HSJ, 6 December 2023