Sector: Sexual health services
Client: Preventx
Services provided: Bid writing
Benefits delivered
HealthcareBids helped a consortium led by Preventx to create the winning bid to deliver the pan-London Sexual Health e-Service. As a digital health service, this was a large and complex tender. HealthcareBids worked with the partners to develop and manage the bid plan, write bid responses and run a consortium workshop to review the draft tender and obtain internal sign-off.
Project summary
Digital health is the use of digital technology in healthcare to deliver benefits such as improved access to services and reductions in the cost of service delivery. The pan-London Sexual Health e-Service is an exciting, new digital health initiative, targeted at reducing the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV in London.
The e-Service was jointly commissioned by more than 20 London boroughs, each of whom already offers services in physical clinics. Rather than having to visit one of these clinics, the e-Service will enable members of the public to access sexual health services and STI testing via the internet. This will deliver numerous benefits, including:
- Improved access to STI testing, with more patients tested earlier.
- Earlier identification of patients with complex needs and referral to specialist services.
- Greater focus of resources on the patients most in need.
- Reductions in STIs, HIV and teenage pregnancies.
Digital health e-Service – the bidding consortium
HealthcareBids was asked by integrated diagnostics company Preventx to support its bid for the e-Service. Recognising the scale and complexity of the challenge, Preventx created a consortium of world-leading experts from relevant fields:
• Preventx has a wealth of experience in remote diagnostics screening and manages the sites https://www.freetest.me, https://www.test.hiv and https://www.test.me.
• Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (ChelWest) has outstanding clinical expertise around sexual health and a track record of service innovation. This includes the development of the award-winning Dean Street and Dean Street Express Clinics and the use of computerised algorithms for clinical triage.
• LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor, the multiple award-winning online prescription service has treated more than 1.3 million UK patients.
• Zesty is a leading digital health company with specialist technical expertise in developing and supporting online healthcare booking systems.
Collectively, the consortium offered a formidable blend of clinical, operational, technology and management expertise.
Completing the digital health e-Service tender
As a digital health service, this was a large and complex tender. The commissioners required the consortium to demonstrate not just clinical and operational expertise, but also technical and logistical competence. HealthcareBids worked with the partners to define a bid plan and timeline. Having assigned “owners” for each tender response, we then managed the plan on behalf of the consortium.
We worked closely with individual subject matter experts from ChelWest’s clinical, operational and safeguarding teams and Preventx’s technical and operational teams to write bid responses. We also acted as a ‘critical friend’ to review first drafts from LloydsPharmacy and Zesty. This ensured messages were clearly, powerfully and consistently presented.
Prior to submission, we ran a consortium workshop to review the draft tender and to obtain internal sign-off. Following dialogue with commissioners, we then helped the consortium to reflect positions agreed during dialogue in revised responses.
The consortium led by Preventx won the contract to deliver the e-Service.
“This was a demanding, time-pressured tender, requiring detailed explanations of service model, operational plans and technical capabilities. HealthcareBids guided us through the process, writing and reviewing complex and varied tender responses and making the final submission clear and compelling. We really could not have delivered such a professional response without HealthcareBids’ support.”
Neil Cooper, MD Preventx.