NHS Arden & Greater East Midlands (GEM) Commissioning Support Unit (CSU) has been appointed to provide commissioning support services on behalf of five Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in Essex.
The contract, worth £7.5 million over a three year period, will cover business intelligence services for Basildon and Brentwood, Castle Point and Rochford, Mid-Essex, Southend and Thurrock CCGs, who serve a total population of approximately 1.2 million. Finance and HR services will also be delivered to four out of the five CCGs. This extension in service provision comes in addition to a recently awarded contract for IT and GP IT services for seven CCGs across Essex.
The decision to appoint Arden & GEM was the result of a competitive procurement exercise, delivered via the NHS England Lead Provider Framework (LPF). The appointment was based on the CSU’s successful track record in developing strategic partnerships that deliver collaboration, co-operation and co-design to improve outcomes within a financially challenging and fast paced local health economy.
Arden & GEM’s business intelligence experts will be working closely with local healthcare leaders to provide systems and solutions that support knowledge development and drive innovation; enabling the wider health and social care transformation agenda.
“We are delighted with the announcement made by the Essex CCGs today, the award of this contract is great news for Arden & GEM. Our service delivery teams are excited about the opportunity to work as a strategic partner in the delivery of high quality, sustainable healthcare for the local population.”
John Parkes, Managing Director at NHS Arden & GEM CSU
The mobilisation and management of the service will be overseen by a dedicated regional director with extensive NHS leadership experience. The service will be fully operational from July 2018.
The current provider of services, North East London (NEL) Commissioning Support Unit, will be working closely with Arden & GEM to ensure a smooth transition, for both CCGs and affected staff.