THE Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust (RDEFT) looks certain to have been awarded the contract for community health services in the eastern locality of Devon — to include services in Okehampton.

NHS Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) made the decision on December 3 to proceed towards awarding the contract for community services to the RDEFT.

While this important gateway has been reached, it remains subject to further detailed due diligence in advance of the final decision. This is a significant milestone in the procurement process, which initially saw the RDEFT named as the preferred provider in November 2014.

The process is expected to be completed in the early part of next year.

This decision at the NHS NEW Devon CCG Governing Body sets the path for community services including the running of community hospitals, community physiotherapy and nursing in the eastern part of Devon, to be provided by the RDEFT.

This procurement set out to build on the quality of current community services provided by Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust (NDHT), and to plan a new and sustainable model of care for the future.

The latest part of the procurement period involved a review of value for money conducted by independent experts. In addition, the CCG has undertaken a strategic diligence process to review RDEFT’s plans to deliver the CCG’s strategy for community services. The outcomes of these assessments were presented to the CCG’s governing body in advance of this decision.

Dr David Jenner, GP from Cullompton and clinical chair for the CCG’s Eastern locality, said: ‘Throughout this process, we have put patients at the centre of our decision-making. This decision now gives us an exciting opportunity to move to the next stage in commissioning the joined up model of services patients in our area have told us they want for the future.’

Rebecca Harriott, chief officer at NHS NEW Devon CCG, said: ‘We recognise that Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust has provided high quality community services and care to the population of eastern Devon for five years, and we want to thank them for their achievements over this time. There have been many improvements in community services and we want to build on this.

‘We have a rising number of people with complex health needs and now need to look ahead and develop a model of care that is increasingly integrated, personal and sustainable to ensure the whole system of care is ready to cope with the demands ahead.’

Angela Pedder, chief executive of RDEFT, said: ‘Aligning community services in Exeter, east and mid Devon with RDEFT is an important step in developing streamlined pathways of care for local people.

‘Working closely with Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, we will now develop plans to safely transfer the services over the coming months. We look forward to welcoming and working with the community services staff, who bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experience.

‘Sharing and building on this expertise will ensure that, with local our communities, we can begin to shape services which meet people’s needs and deliver responsive and efficient care. Em Wilkinson-Brice, deputy chief executive/ chief nurse at RDEFT will lead the next stages of this work.’

Now that this milestone has been reached for the CCG’s eastern locality, the detailed due diligence will include preparations towards the transfer from the current provider, NDHT, to the new provider, RDEFT.

Alison Diamond, chief Executive of NDHT, said: ‘It has been an immense privilege to work with the health and social care professionals in Exeter, east and mid Devon since 2011. We have achieved tremendous things on behalf of the communities we serve and we are rightly proud of the way we have transformed these services.

‘We have enjoyed learning from each other and wish all our Eastern colleagues the very best in future. All our management and professional efforts are now going into effecting a legally sound and clinically safe transfer of staff and services to the RD&E.’