SCE0050 – Fostering Medical Assessments (AH1/AH2) and Medical Advisor Services

THIS IS NOT A CALL FOR COMPETITION

Fostering Medical Assessments (AH1/AH2) and Medical Advisor Services

Leicester City Council is exploring the market to understand the availability and capability of organisations to deliver fostering medical assessments and provide independent medical advice to the Our Fostering Service.
We are considering commissioning a provider who can undertake the full fostering medical assessment process, including completion of the Adult Health Report (AH1) and the Medical Advisor Report (AH2), full medical summary and attend fostering panels where required.
Traditionally these assessments are completed by General Practitioners (GPs), with a Fostering Medical Advisor reviewing the information and providing advice to the fostering service and fostering panel. Due to increasing challenges in accessing GP capacity, Leicester City Council wishes to understand alternative delivery models that maintain high quality, timely assessments whilst meeting statutory requirements.

We are also interested in understanding whether providers would have the capacity to deliver this service across Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire (LLRN) should commissioning partners wish to pursue a collaborative approach.

In addition to exploring a single provider model, Leicester City Council is also seeking market views on alternative delivery approaches that could support a collaborative service across Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire (LLRN). This may include a single provider delivering across the whole footprint, a lead provider working with delivery partners or subcontractors, or a geographical delivery model where providers are responsible for delivering services within defined localities.
The Council is keen to understand which delivery models the market considers to be the most effective, sustainable and capable of providing timely, high-quality fostering medical assessments and Medical Advisor services. Responses received through this Soft Market Test will help inform the future commissioning approach and determine whether a collaborative model across the wider LLRN footprint is viable.

This soft market test gives providers and other stakeholders the opportunity to express their interests and feed in their views about the potential service model and specification principles. The commissioners will use the information to appraise options and further develop the specification.
This process does not constitute a formal tender or other competitive bidding process and will not result in the letting of a Contract. The authority is using this process solely to test the market to gather information and ascertain the level of interest in this particular service. There are therefore no formal criteria which we will use to judge your response, and it is not our intention to provide any feedback.


Leicester City Council is a unitary authority serving a population of approximately 380,000 people. The Council is responsible for delivering a wide range of children's social care services, including fostering, adoption and kinship support. Leicester is one of the youngest and most diverse cities in the UK, with increasing demand for children's services. The Council is exploring alternative approaches to delivering fostering medical assessments and Medical Advisor services to ensure prospective foster carers receive timely, high-quality assessments that meet statutory requirements.

Please note that any procurement and contract start dates mentioned in this notice are estimates and may change. Additionally, the total contract value is an estimate and it is likely to change.