The challenge
In April 2023, NHS England requested contract management support to cover the West Yorkshire locality within the public health programme team. The previous contract manager had moved into a new role and NHSE had requested a new contract manager from NECS to fill in this position initially for a period of six months.
The West Yorkshire contracting portfolio for s7a Screening and Immunisation programmes covered seven trusts and two IS providers. The objectives of this project were to carry out general contract management duties covering these contracts, finalising contract signatures and holding provider contract review meetings. Part of this role involved dealing with CQRS claims for vaccinations.
Our response
Initially the contract manager worked with another two contract managers who covered the North and South Yorkshire localities, along with the wider programme team, programme managers and commissioning leads to help understand how NHSE commissioning works and what the screening and immunisation programmes and contracts involve. They worked with colleagues and providers to establish working relationships and to familiarise with current ongoing conversations and issues. During this time, they also went through the mobilisation of five new School Aged Immunisation Service contracts.
The position was extended until the end of May 2024. In November 2023, the contract manager covering the South Yorkshire locality moved into a new role, which meant that the portfolio was increased to cover a further four trusts and two IS providers across South Yorkshire.
In January 2024, ahead of the 2024/25 contracting round, the NECS contract manager gained responsibility for organising and leading on contracting discussions across the whole of Yorkshire and Humber localities. This involved supporting commissioning leads around the new PSR, liaising with finance leads around contract values, working closely with all providers and colleagues around negotiations and drafting contract builders and particulars, obtaining agreement and sign off.
Outcomes
- Provided contracting support across Yorkshire and Humber to the public health programme team.
- Chaired contract review meetings and raised / dealt with any issues / queries appropriately.
- Supported the mobilisation of a newly procured school aged immunisation service.
- Led on contract negotiations, picking up any outstanding issues as part of 2023/24 and for contracting round 2024/25.
- Created 2024/25 Contracts and Contract Builders ensuring all the correct and updated information was included.
- Organised schedules 4 and 6 within the contracts and worked with public health colleagues in terms of data returns and performance monitoring.
- Liaised with the national contracting team, ICB colleagues and providers around the correct contracting route for those programmes funded directly by the ICB.
- Monitored the CQRS mailbox and actioned manual adjustments as necessary.
“We were unable to recruit to vacancies within the contracting team due to organisational change, however we were able to commission temporary support from NECS as described above. In my experience agency support is rarely as good as being able to recruit but, on this occasion, I was proved wrong. The individual in the role fully integrated with the team and brought additional skills and experience which they shared willingly. They were adaptable when further vacancies arose and expanded their role to lead the contracting process during staff sickness. They established processes, kept the team on track with national requirements and proposed solutions for taking things forward. At a time of change, knowing that the contracting portfolio was being well managed and in safe hands was a significant support.
“Both NECS and the individual were supportive when there were delays in obtaining agreement to extend the length of the initial contract which on that occasion was successful. The support has only ceased due to organisational restrictions and the postholder is greatly missed within the team.”