Integrated Urgent Care Services covering Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Central East (excl. Cambridge and Peterborough)

NHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board, NHS Essex Integrated Care Board and NHS Central East Integrated Care Board (together, the “Relevant Authorities”) are collaboratively considering the future commissioning of Integrated Urgent Care Services across their respective geographical footprints, excluding Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. The emerging scope includes NHS 111, Clinical Assessment Services, GP Out of Hours services and Urgent Care Coordination Hub arrangements. The ambition is to support more integrated and equitable access to urgent care, enabling patients to tell their story once, receive a trusted clinical assessment and be directed to the right care, closer to home where appropriate, while reducing avoidable pressure on emergency services. The current planning assumption is that any future contractual arrangements would commence on 1 October 2028, following an indicative six-month mobilisation period, subject to governance approval, any future provider selection process and successful mobilisation. This notice is being issued to support a programme of pre-procurement market engagement. The Relevant Authorities are seeking information and evidence from the market to inform future commissioning, service design and procurement decisions. This is a planning notice for market engagement, not a call for competition, and does not invite tenders or commit the Relevant Authorities to a particular procurement route, service model, lotting structure or contract award. Final governance, delegation and contracting arrangements also remain to be agreed. NHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board, NHS Essex Integrated Care Board and NHS Central East Integrated Care Board (together, the “Relevant Authorities”) are collaboratively restarting the development of proposals for the future commissioning of Collaborative Integrated Urgent Care Services across their respective geographical footprints, excluding Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. This reflects the evolution of the previous two-ICB proposition into a tri-ICB programme and presents an opportunity to consider a more consistent, resilient and integrated regional approach to urgent care delivery. Each Relevant Authority will remain accountable for its own statutory decisions, with final governance, delegation and contracting arrangements to be agreed. The Relevant Authorities anticipate that any future provider selection process for services within scope would be undertaken in accordance with the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 (“PSR”). The current working assumption is that any future procurement would utilise the Competitive Process under the PSR, although this remains subject to market engagement, development of the procurement strategy, governance and approval. The opportunity under consideration relates to the future delivery of Collaborative Integrated Urgent Care Services. The emerging scope includes, but may not be limited to: • NHS 111 services; • Clinical Assessment Services; • GP Out of Hours services; and • Urgent Care Coordination Hub arrangements, including local variants currently operating across the participating systems (also known as “Urgent Care Coordination Hub”, “Urgent Community Care Hub” and “Unscheduled Care Coordination Hub”). The Relevant Authorities are exploring a transformation programme rather than a straightforward replacement of existing arrangements. The ambition is to enable patients to tell their story once, receive a trusted clinical assessment and be navigated to the right care, closer to home where appropriate. The programme also aims to improve patient access and experience, support safer and more integrated pathways, strengthen operational resilience, reduce avoidable pressure on emergency services, enable digital interoperability and innovation, and deliver sustainable whole-life value for local populations. The emerging model will consider equity of access across different geographies and population groups, including digital access, language needs and reasonable adjustments, particularly for people experiencing poorer access or outcomes. The starting proposition is a more integrated urgent care pathway across the participating footprints, whilst retaining local variation where justified by population need, geography or service requirements. However, no final decisions have been made regarding the future service scope, geographic configuration, lotting arrangements, provider model, contractual structure, payment mechanism, contract term, mobilisation approach or detailed service specification. These matters remain under development and will be informed by governance, clinical and service design work, and evidence obtained through market engagement. The Relevant Authorities currently anticipate a service commencement date of 1 October 2028, subject to governance approval, completion of any future provider selection process, applicable review requirements and succ