NHS England has opened a preliminary market engagement notice, inviting suppliers to take part in introducing a market to digital primary care, offering solutions for procurement by ICBs and approved agencies across the UK.
Part of NHSE’s Transformation Directorate, it follows the previous engagement for the GP IT Futures Framework, with the aim to ensure “streamlined access to innovative digital solutions” within healthcare. Proposed solutions should be “reflective of healthcare professionals’ needs”, as shown through research and user engagement, while also enhancing current solutions in development or those that are “already assured for marketing on the DSIC catalogue”.
The market engagement is said to “explore current market capacity across a range of patient-facing, clinical & administrative capabilities” while also looking at how it can “assist with further development of those capabilities through research & innovation”.
As part of the engagement process, suppliers are invited to complete an MS Forms Market Engagement Questionnaire through the e-sourcing portal, Atamis, by 5pm, 20 June 2025.
The total estimated timeframe for the future contract spans from 2026 to 2029 with the potential to extend to 2031 and an estimated total value of £400m. Read the full notice to learn more.
Digital in primary care
For a recent HTN Now panel discussion, we spoke with experts from across the healthcare sector on the future of general practice core systems. This included exploring potential opportunities and areas of future growth, considering challenges such as integration and interoperability, and outlining what “good” looks like in this space. Our panellists were Bex Cottey, business manager for Conisbrough GPs, Emma Stratful, chief operating officer at OX.DH, Dr Sheikh Mateen Ellahi, GP and practice partner at ELM Tree Surgery and South Stockton Primary Care Network and Dr Shanker Vijayadeva, GP lead, digital transformation for the London region at NHS England.
In March, NHS England’s board met to discuss EPR coverage, digital maturity, as well tech and digital investment, looking at updates in overall performance, delivery, digital, data and technology. They also focused on opportunities for the future, identifying four areas to help “streamline processes, improve workflow, and better share information across care pathways”.
