NHS England has outlined a plan to expand the suite of procurement frameworks under its Digital Services for Integrated Care Programme.
It has published a prior information notice, with an estimated value just short of £1 billion, for the provision of electronic patient record (EPR) solutions and associated capabilities for primary care IT.
The notice says these will augment solutions already in development or assured for marketing on the catalogue with frameworks for a range of applications in primary care.
These will include: patient record systems for multi-disciplinary settings; GP systems; digital services integrated into clinical desktops; patient triage through online consultations leading into digital pathways; digital support services; patient facing services; community pharmacy contractual framework services; and digital vaccination services.
The frameworks will be available not just to GPs but primary care homes, multi-speciality community providers, integrated care systems and other integrated care organisations.
Supplier feedback
NHS England said it is prepared to take feedback from potential suppliers on possible new elements of the Digital Services Catalogue and the technology strategy of the programme.
The catalogue already includes two frameworks: on tech innovation and digital first online consultation and video consultation.
The Digital Services for Integrated Care Programme is part of the Primary Care Access Recovery Plan, which was launched by the NHS England last month with the aim of making it easier and quicker for patients to get access to primary care.
It includes an ambition to provide all GP practices with the necessary digital tools and care navigation training by March 2025.
