NHS National Framework Agreement for

Medical Locums

Supplier Conference

Warwick Arts Centre

14 August 2007

Introduction

Marcus Brindle

Director

Agency and Services

Housekeeping

• Sign in• Toilets• Fire alarms• Lunch

Introduction

Principles

• No photography or recording is permitted

• All questions will be taken at the end

• Any information presented will be recorded on the NHS PASA

website

Agenda

10.00 Introduction / Background - Marcus Brindle

10.15 Current Market / Project timetable - Carol Holroyd

10.45 PQQ2 - Neil Baigent

11.15 Audit - Jane Conway

11.45 Next steps/stakeholder consultation - Carol Holroyd

12.00 Question and answer session

12.30 Lunch

Background

NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency

• Executive Agency of the Department of Health since 1 April 2000

• Objective is to deliver savings for the NHS and support the DH objective of enhancing the safety and quality of services for users and patients

• We are not a trading organisation – being centrally funded by Government allows us to concentrate on those functions that demonstrate value to the NHS

Background

National framework agreements:

• Framework agreements are agreements with one or more suppliers which set out the terms and conditions of contract for subsequent procurements

• Contracts are only formed when call offs are made by the individual NHS Trusts/participating bodies

• A framework agreement is not a contract with the NHS/participating body

Background

Framework agreements benefits:

• Enables the NHS to use its collaborative purchasing power

• Provides a choice of suppliers signed up to consistent pricing and terms and conditions of contract

• Follows the once only principle which allows the NHS to save time, money and resource

Current market

The NHS

• 586 NHS Trusts in England including ambulance trusts and PCTs

• Contracts under the framework will be placed by Individual trusts

• Suppliers may be selected on a:– Individual trust basis– By collaborative groups of trusts– By Procurement Hubs

• PASA will support NHS stakeholders in the selection process

Current Market

The existing national framework agreement

for medical locums:

• Commenced 1 July 2005• No extension to existing agreement• New agreement will be awarded April 2008 for implementation

by 1 July 2008• Current agreement included GPs – will be not on the new

agreement• New agreement will cover England, Scotland and Wales

Current Market

Changes in the market:

• The original NHS England market size at the start of the last agreement was £345m

• New market size for NHS England is £148m• Decrease in expenditure of 57%• Reasons for decrease over period:

– increased pressure on NHS trusts to manage their temporary staffing requirements

– savings generated through usage of the framework agreement

– improved management of vacancies internally– covering vacancies internally or through their own bank

Current market

Market size:

• The NHS spend on medical locums is estimated at £187m per annum this includes expenditure in England, Scotland and Wales

• The agreement is also open for use by Northern Ireland and other public sector bodies

• The current agreement has seen uptake of approx 70% of the market value and it is our aim to further increase use of the agreement

• New agreement will cover 80 grades and specialties

Spend by specialty

Spend 2006 by Speciality

23.02%

18.83%

16.94%

16.23%

10.51%

7.31%

4.90%

1.01%

0.91%

0.35% General Medicine Group

Psychiatry

Accident & Emergency

Surgical Group

Anaesthetics

Paediatrics

Obstetrics &GynaecologyPathology

Radiology Group

Dental

Spend by grade

Spend 2006 by grade

27.53%

26.94%22.83%

20.63%

1.08%

0.91%

0.07%

SHO

Consultant

SpR

Staff Grade

PrHO

Associate Specialist

Clinical Assistant

Carol Holroyd

Lead Category Manager

Medical Locums

Procurement timetable

• Advertisement for expressions of interest published 11 July 2007

• Companies expressed interest by 6 August 2007

• Initial supplier conference 14 August 2007

• PQQ2 invitations will be issued via Bravo 28 August 2007

• Critical that PQQ2 is viewed immediately

• You will be given 10 days to complete PQQ2

• Deadline for the publication of your PQQ2 on Bravo is 11 September 2007

Procurement timetable

• Suppliers qualifying at PQQ2 stage will be invited to participate in the completion of ITT (invitation to tender) documentation

• Draft ITT documentation will be issued to invited suppliers w/c 24 September this will include the offer schedule, specification, terms and conditions, framework agreement, e-auction details

• On receipt of the documentation, you will also receive an invitation to a second supplier conference. This is anticipated to be held no earlier than w/c 22 October 2007.

• Conference will enable suppliers to seek clarification on the ITT documents and training will be given on the e-tendering system

Procurement timetable

• A preliminary audit will take place of those suppliers successful at PQQ2 stage. This will take place late September or October.

• Final ITT documents will be distributed to PQQ2 short-listed participants post audit the estimated date of issue is 22 October 2007

• Completed ITO (Invitation to offer) return with electronic and paper copies must be returned by 27 November 2007

• Analysis of the ITO will take place in December and January, successful bidders will be invited to participate in an e-auction mid February 2008

Procurement timetable

• E-auction training will take place early February 2008

• Final evaluation will take place mid March 2008

• An award decision will be communicated by the end of March 2008

• During April we will hold debriefs and issue relevant paperwork

• Implementation will commence during May/June

• It is anticipated that we will hold seminars for suppliers and road shows for NHS users during this period

• Framework agreement commencement date of 1 July 2008

Neil Baigent

Category Manager

Medical Locums

Pre-qualification questionnaire 2

Questionnaire contents

• The key parts of the questionnaire are:

– Provision of medical locums of all grades and specialties (excluding locum GPs)

– Pre-employment screening

– Other information

Provision of medical locumsInformation to be provided:

– Previous and current supply of medical locums• invoiced sales management information excluding VAT• copies of dated invoices detailing the supply of medical

locums to a relevant customer• contact details for referees

– Capability to supply medical locums• total number of active medical locums by grade and

specialty available for placement as of 01 August 2007

– Grades and specialties your company proposes to supply

– Geographical region (s) your company proposes to supply

Provision of medical locums• Ordering and booking procedures

– out of hours service?– methods currently available to receive bookings?– response times?

• Invoicing and timesheet processes– methods available for invoicing customers– details provided on an invoice– details provided on a timesheet– how do you validate timesheets and invoices

Provision of medical locums• Fill rates

– how do measure fill rates?– what is your average fill rate?

• Service level agreements (SLA)– Have you had previous experience of SLAs?– How do you monitor your performance?

• Customer account management– Accounts management information– Attend performance review meetings?

Pre-employment screening checks• Information to be provided on:

– policies, practices and procedures in place for the pre-screening of agency workers prior to their placement within a customer’s organisations

• Identity• Right to work in the United Kingdom• Employment history and qualifications• Criminal record• Immunisation history and fitness to work• training

Other information

• NHS Employer’s Code of Practice for the international recruitment of healthcare workers

• Quality assurance

• Complaints procedures

• Clinical governance

• Provision of sales management information

• Declaration

Instructions for completion• Please read all sections of the questionnaire so as to familiarise

yourself with the information required prior to completing it

• All response must be provided in English and use GBP (£) where required

• Any false statements or information given by your company that is subsequently found to be untrue will immediately disqualify your company from any ensuing contract award

Instructions for completion• majority of the questions shall require a Yes or No response

• will be issued to short listed companies via Bravo on:

28 August 2007

• Important that it is viewed immediately

• Deadline for completion:

12.00 noon11 September 2007

Instructions for completion

• Help and advice

– in writing, via the Bravo messaging service

Pre Award Audit

Jane Conway

National Audit Programme Manager

NHS PASA

Introduction

• As part of the tender process for this Medical locums contract, a pre award audit shall be carried out at your agency’s premises during September and October 2007

• The purpose of this audit is to establish whether or not your agency has the necessary vigorous recruitment procedures in place to meet the current, and future, NHS requirements regarding employment of agency temporary medical staff, locum doctors

Pre Award Audit

• Our fundamental objectives are to ensure that – all workers supplied to the NHS are of high quality and – do not present a risk to patient and other healthcare worker safety

in the NHS

• Your agency will be notified of our visit by telephone. This shall then be confirmed in writing by e-mail

• 2 working days notice of our intention to audit shall be provided

• Our auditors will attend your premises and shall require access to: – a room with desk and chair– your computer system– photocopier

Audit Compliance

The auditors will be looking for demonstrable evidence of:

• Current levels of insurance:

- Professional indemnity

- Employers liability

- Public liability• Recruitment procedures• Application form• Interview records• Occupational Health Questionnaire

Audit Compliance

Procedures for dealing with:

• General medical council registration

• Criminal records disclosure

• Comprehensive health screening to include immunisation

• Management of Alert letters

• Complaints procedure including complaints register

Audit Compliance

• Immigration status - eligibility to work• Adherence to the Code of practice for the international

recruitment of healthcare workers• Procedure for appraisal• Verification of identity• Professional qualifications • Booking systems and records• Induction policy/procedure• Terms and conditions of the locum• Quality assurance system

Audit Compliance Locum files• Auditors will request to view a number of locum files to access

the following:

– Curriculum vitae– Photographic identity– Verified Identity– Professional qualifications– GMC registration– Police checks – Criminal records disclosure– Relevant references– Immunisation

Existing guidance

Recommended publications:

• Code of practice for the supply of temporary staffing (DH, July 2002)

• Code of practice in the appointment and employment of HCHS locum doctors (NHS Executive, August 1997)

• Guidance for the employment of locum consultants (DH, October 2003)

• Safer recruitment – a guide for NHS employers (NHS Employers, February 2006)

• Code of practice for the International recruitment of healthcare workers (NHS Employers, December 2004)

Guidance under further discussion

• Occupational Health – Department of Health guidelines

– NHS PASA are currently discussing the new guidelines and shall be issuing further advice in due course

• The Admiral West Review of NHS Recruitment Processes

– Pre employment screening– NHS PASA are currently discussing the new guidelines

following the Admiral West Review. Further advice shall be issued in due course

What next?

Pre award audit

• The audit team will commence pre award audits of short listed agencies from:

Mid September 2007

• You shall be given a minimum of 2 working days notice of our intention to audit

Help and Advice

Please contact:

Jane Conway

National audit programme manager

In writing FAO: Jane Conway (pre-award audit)

via the Bravo messaging service

Carol Holroyd

Lead Category Manager

Medical Locums

Stakeholder Consultation

• Department of Health

• NHS Employers

• Incumbent suppliers

• REC – Recruitment Employers Confederation

• AMRA – Association of Medical Recruitment Agencies

• NHS Scotland and Wales

• NHS Professionals

• NHS Counter Fraud Management Services

• SBS – Shared Business Services

Stakeholder Consultation

NHS Stakeholders:

• Regional stakeholder groups have been set up around the UK

• Groups will meet a minimum of 4 times throughout the

procurement

• Objectives:

– to consult on key issues including pricing structure and

contractual terms

– ensure the framework agreement meets stakeholder needs in

relation to value for money and quality of supply

Next Steps

Do you want to be a part of the process?

• If yes:– Ensure that you are available to complete PQQ 2 during the

allotted time as there will be no extension to this time frame– Closely study the timetable given and make provision for

availability during key times

• If you choose not to go further within this process please put your intention in writing to NHS PASA or via e-mail to pasamedloc@pasa.nhs.uk

Questions and answers

• use the microphone when asking questions

• state your agency and your name prior to asking a question

• confine questions to this procurement process

• further questions should be addressed via the bravo messaging

service

Thank you for attending

NHS national framework formedical locums

Supplier conference

Warwick Arts Centre

14 August 2007