NHS England ?requires additional PR support?

NHS England has released a ‘prior information notice’ for expressions of interest over providing the health service’s central body with PR support to assist its new structures, according to PR Week.

The notice advises that likely customers will be from Clinical Commissioning Groups, NHS England and other organisations from the public health sector. It also calls for engagement in other areas of potential support, including IT and analytical services.

PR Week reports that if a roster were to be launched, pre-qualification questionnaires (PQQs) would be issued in August this year and appointments would subsequently be made in early 2015.

A spokeswoman for NHS England said: "This tender notice is part of a wider initiative about a variety of non-core services to the NHS called commissioning support services, which include communications and engagement services."

The notice is part of wider initiative that will lay the foundations for the development of the ‘Lead Provider Framework’, which is set to go live in January 2015. The scheme will provide a selection of external suppliers across a range of services to the health service – worth between £3 billion to £5 billion over four years.