Published date: 3 August 2021
This notice was replaced on 3 August 2021
This notice does not contain the most up-to-date information about this procurement. The most recent notice is:
Future opportunity (published 3 August 2021, last edited 3 August 2021)
Closed future opportunity - This means that a potential contract has passed its approach to market date. A buyer can choose to consider any supplier interest or convert this notice into an opportunity ready for live procurement.
Contract summary
Industry
Health services - 85100000
Location of contract
LS2 7PD
Value of contract
£300,000
Procurement reference
CF-0293100D0O000000rwimUAA1
Published date
3 August 2021
Approach to market date
16 August 2021
Contract start date
27 September 2021
Contract end date
29 September 2023
Contract type
Service contract
Procedure type
Open procedure (above threshold)
Any interested supplier may submit a tender in response to an opportunity notice.
This procedure can be used for procurements above the relevant contract value threshold.
Contract is suitable for SMEs?
Yes
Contract is suitable for VCSEs?
Yes
Description
NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE/I) is considering commissioning the development and clinical validation of a perinatal pelvic health assessment tool.
This tool will be used to support the successful rollout and evaluation of Perinatal Pelvic Health Services (PPHS), which aim to improve the prevention, identification, and treatment of pelvic floor dysfunction around birth. These services will deliver on an NHS Long Term Plan commitment.
Background - assessment of need
There is no systematic national data on perinatal pelvic floor dysfunction in England, but research suggests that about one in three women will experience some form of urinary incontinence after childbirth, one in ten faecal incontinence, and one in twelve pelvic organ prolapse. More than two-thirds of women with postpartum urinary incontinence and more than a third of women with faecal incontinence will still report it 12 years later, suggesting shortcomings in both identification and treatment of pelvic floor dysfunction nationally.
A number of studies suggest that these issues are underreported. NICE recognises incontinence is likely to be "significantly underreported" because women may be "too embarrassed to seek advice", and a 2017 NCT survey found that 38% of women were self-conscious speaking about incontinence with a health professional. NHSE/I's Perinatal Pelvic Health Reference Group has identified a common misconception that pelvic floor dysfunction is a normal or inevitable part of motherhood.
Brief for assessment tool
NHSE/I has developed a draft service model for PPHS, which recommends that all pregnant women undertake a self-assessment of pelvic floor function at around antenatal booking, to identify those requiring immediate support, but also to raise awareness among all women of key symptoms. When repeated later in antenatal or postnatal care, the tool could be used to identify deterioration (or improvement) in pelvic floor function and give women confidence to seek specialist treatment. If the assessment is applied consistently across Early Implementer PPHS, it could be used to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of approaches. Used nationally, it could improve data on the prevalence and incidence of pelvic floor dysfunction perinatally.
While a small number of clinically validated tools exist to identify and assess aspects of pelvic floor dysfunction, there is no publicly available, free-to-use assessment tool that covers all common perinatal issues.
Please RSVP by Thursday 12 August 5pm with the name, title and contact details for
attendees to Naomi Robertson, Project Manager - Maternity and Women's Health
Policy Team, by emailing england.maternitytransformation@nhs.net
About the buyer
Contact name
Naomi Robertson
Address
Quarry Hill
Leeds
LS2 7PD
GB
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