SEL ICB (Bromley) Community Phlebotomy

NHS South East London Integrated Care Board (SEL ICB) is seeking to commission a Community Phlebotomy Service for the London Borough of Bromley.

The Community Phlebotomy Service was first commissioned in Bromley in 2017 to provide accessible, out-of-hospital provision for blood collection for patients across the borough.

The service provides blood tests in accessible community settings that enables earlier interventions to help manage more people in the community, reduces the reliance on hospital-based testing, and contributes to better referral quality to secondary care.

The service aims to:

• Provide an accessible phlebotomy service that facilitates GP direct access to blood tests and urgent access if required.

• Enable GPs to effectively manage their patients in primary care or to improve referrals to secondary care with the appropriate diagnostic investigations already completed.

• Ensure that the provision of tests is conducted consistently and effectively across Bromley through achieving a set of agreed core standards, key performance indicators, and reporting arrangements.

• Support the commissioning of the highest value and quality services that meet national guidance.

The key service objectives for this contract term are (and these will be used to evaluate potential expressions of interest) to:

• Empowering Bromley GPs with phlebotomy services in a primary and community care setting.

• Provide a more accessible service in community settings and convenient locations, as outlined in sections 2.4 and 2.14. For certain sites, the provider will be required to operate from locations specified by the commissioner, while others will be subject to assessment and confirmation.

• Provide a flexible and appropriate service that is responsive to changes in demand, patient care and organisational requirements.

• Provide a quality and clinically safe reporting service supported by the necessary trained, experienced and well-established workforce.

• Deliver an integrated service that works seamlessly with GPs, the pathology provider, and wider health services, while developing and maintaining strong local relationships through collaboration with primary care clinicians, services, and pathways.

• Works in integrated approach with other interdependent services in the local system to develop and contribute to a sustainable neighbourhood diagnostics provision in Bromley.

• Work with the pathology provider on planned transformation of GP blood test requesting technology and adapting to changing requirements of the service.

• Provide safe, efficient, responsive, comprehensive and effective services which meet National guidelines, quality standards, accreditation requirements and statutory regulations.

• Provide services that comply with information governance, data privacy and sharing agreements, facilities requirements and governance standards.

The provider is expected to demonstrate a proven track record in delivering community phlebotomy services for a minimum of three years in South East London, with prior experience in meeting the key objectives and service requirements as outlined.