Integrated Community Musculoskeletal Services

Waltham Forest CCG wishes to commission an Integrated Community Musculoskeletal (MSK) Service for the adult GP registered population of Waltham Forest.
The MSK service is an alternative to hospital-based outpatient services where non-complex acute and chronic conditions can be seen for clinical assessment, diagnostics and treatment in a community setting. This is in line with the CCG strategy and strategic commissioning intentions to ensure that high quality care is delivered as close to the patient’s home as is appropriate.
The service specialties that are included within the Service scope are:

• Community MSK physiotherapy services;
• Community based outpatient MSK orthopaedic services;
• Community based outpatient MSK rheumatology services;
• Community based chronic MSK pain management services, and
• Community based Minor Hand surgery

Patients should be able to access treatment quickly, via a single point of access, and receive treatment from the initial visit where possible. All referrals will be by e-referral and will undergo an initial administrative and clinical triage to ensure patients are directed for the right care first time. Following assessment, the clinically-led Service will diagnose and treat all MSK conditions and pathologies in a community setting local to patients, keeping them out of an acute setting wherever possible and appropriate.
The CCG is seeking providers with the appropriate capability and capacity to deliver the service. The service will operate as an alternative to current outpatient hospital MSK services as well as replacing current community based MSK services.

The aims of the Service are to achieve:
• Delivery of the right MSK care for patients at the right time;
• Integrated MSK care, removing fragmentation across specialties and providers, developing a highly effective Multi-disciplinary team based approach to patient care;
• Co-ordinated care for patients with effective care planning across the pathway;
• Early diagnosis of conditions and a focus on prevention of disease progression;
• Training and education for primary care clinicians to support diagnosis and disease management in primary care; and enhanced self-care support to patients
• Sustainable services representing value for money, providing an optimum balance of quality and cost.