New commercial notice alerts potential tech suppliers of intent to implement a contract to support the delivery of a national system collating data on more than 5,000 procedures each day
The NHS is progressing plans for a new nationwide database of health outcomes for about two million patients each year.
The health service’s Outcomes and Registries Programme began work in 2022, in response to recommendations made in a 2020 report concerning the safety of medical devices.
Collating existing data – and information related to two million procedures each year that feature a “high-risk” device – the project “consolidates existing implantable device-level registries and implements new outcome registry data collections to address data and vigilance gaps, enabling the prevention of patient safety issues and adverse outcomes”.
The devices in question include the likes of pacemakers, hip replacements and breast implants.
According to a commercial notice newly published by NHS England, the early phases of the data scheme have included the creation of an “Outcomes and Registries Clinical Application… to improve the access, linkage and usage of outcome registry and audit data for the purposes of using these data to improve patient safety and outcomes”.
Subsequent stages will include the appointment of a supplier to provide “development, delivery and support services” to help fulfil the creation of the overarching system that will house the registries.
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The notice adds: “This platform is multi-faceted and provides a foundation for the collection, processing, analysis and dissemination of outcome registry data, the legal basis of which is the Outcomes and Registries Directions 2024.”
Ahead of inviting bids for providers to deliver the development contract, NHS England has notified prospective suppliers that it is “preparing to initiate premarket engagement in relation to” the deal.
This engagement will begin with a dedicated session expected to take place on a date to be confirmed next month. Those wishing to take part have until 2 April to register to do so.
No more than two representatives from each supplier will be allowed to attend and companies “are asked to not approach NHS England staff to discuss this potential opportunity”.
The intention is to put in place a contract due to commence on 30 September.
“[This] programme is a patient centred, clinically led programme,” the notice says. “The core objectives [are] improving patient safety and patient outcomes.
