NHS England Information Request to inform the creation of a Supplier Registry for Digital Pathway Solutions in the Primary Care Setting

Digital Pathway Tools, (Online Consultations, Care Navigation and Demand and Capacity Planning) can help practices to effectively monitor, triage and prioritise patient demand and better utilise their resources.

These solutions can support practices to:

• assess patient needs from initial online contact.
• support patient triage and prioritisation.
• navigate patients to the appropriate point of care using clinical and operational rules.
• enable patient interactions with their practice, for example, Fit Note request
• collect structured information, for example, via a survey.

The NHS 10-year plan is explicit that:

• Demand in the system is rising due to ageing population and increasing complexity.
• Current models are unsustainable and already failing to meet access expectations (e.g. difficulty getting GP appointments.

The implication being that traditional capacity growth (more appointments, more staff) alone will not keep pace with demand and more effective ways of monitoring, prioritising and navigating demand and effective capacity planning is needed.

Digital pathways tools can be delivered via a single solution or through a modular set of solutions. They are required to integrate with electronic patient records and national services.

Registry Benefits

The aim is to create and develop a supplier registry for DP Solutions with an accompanying resource library that will be shared with NHS systems to better inform buying authorities when undertaking local procurements.

Local procurements will be undertaken by the NHS systems (ICB, PCN, GP Practice) themselves and in accordance with their own governance and due diligence requirements.

The Hub is mandated to support primary care systems with their local procurements and will use the Registry and the uplifted Capabilities and Standards as an anchor in their open market tendering. The GP Contract mandates the use of Digital Pathway tools by NHS systems. The GPIT Operating Model v.6 mandates the use of the NHS England National Commercial and Procurement Hub for buying these tools.

The DP Solution Registry will be operationalised as a central platform where DP Suppliers will self-declare against the uplifted NHSE Capabilities and Standards. It is not a procurement mechanism but a strategic enabler that:

• Lists successful DP solutions that have submitted evidence of self-certification against the NHSE uplifted Capabilities and Standards.
• Supports procurement and planning by surfacing suppliers that meet uplifted Capabilities and Standards.
• Encourages transparency around safety, data handling, and performance.
• Enables monitoring, evaluation, and reporting.
• Facilitates cross-system learning and reduces duplication across ICBs, PCNs and GP Practices
• Sets conditions of participation for use in subsequent contracts and supplier behavioural expectations.

For reference, the Capabilities are segmented into the below categories: -

• Care Navigation
• Online Patient Consultation
• Online Patient Request
• Online Consultations and Requests Reporting
• Video Consultation
• Demand and Capacity Planning

A document is available within Atamis which provides further detail on the national requirements behind each Capability where uplifted. Standards will be shared at a later date.

This preliminary Market Engagement is being conducted in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023.

This stage one information request is a Market Engagement exercise to aid the understanding of market capability and ready the market for stage two.

Stage two is the establishment of the creation of a Supplier Registry for Digital Pathways Solutions in the Primary Care Setting.

Please note, Stage two will be subject to a separate notice.