Complex Termination of Pregnancy (CTOP) Services across the South East

NHS Thames Valley Integrated Care Board (ICB) is seeking a suitable provider to act as the Regional Network Lead Provider for Complex Termination of Pregnancy (CTOP) services across the South East.

The successful provider will operate as the regional Hub, taking responsibility for the delivery, coordination and clinical governance of CTOP pathways. This will include specialist medical and surgical termination of pregnancy care up to 23 + 6 weeks’ gestation, alongside leadership of a regional network designed to improve access, consistency and quality of care.

The procurement covers the South East region, including Kent and Medway, Surrey and Sussex, Hampshire and Isle of Wight, and Thames Valley ICB areas.

Service Model

The procurement will establish one Regional Lead Centre responsible for coordinating CTOP provision across the South East.

The Hub will be required to:

• Host the Single Point of Access (SPOA) for CTOP referrals across the region
• Lead a regional Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) to review, triage and allocate cases
• Deliver medical and surgical CTOP procedures up to 23 + 6 weeks’ gestation for eligible patients
• Provide clinical governance and quality oversight for Network Member Providers
• Lead regional workforce training, upskilling and maintenance of clinical skills
• Coordinate data collection, audit, outcome reporting and shared learning across the network

The regional MDT is expected to bring together relevant expertise including obstetrics, gynaecology, anaesthesia, fetal medicine, maternal medicine, nursing and midwifery, radiology, pathology and bereavement support.

Network Member Providers may deliver CTOP services within lower gestational limits, with the Hub providing clinical advice, escalation arrangements and governance oversight.

Scope of Services

The commissioned service will include specialist medical and surgical termination of pregnancy provision alongside the clinical infrastructure required to support complex cases.

Requirements include:

• Specialist medical and surgical termination services up to 23 + 6 weeks
• Access to theatres, diagnostics, blood products, critical care and other relevant specialties, either on-site or through formalised arrangements
• Pre-, peri- and post-procedure care
• Counselling, anaesthetic support and bereavement care
• Clinical governance and audit across the regional network
• Participation in national reporting and assurance processes
• Leadership of regional CTOP training and competency maintenance
• Regional data collection, analysis and submission to NHS England

The Hub will also be responsible for convening network meetings, supporting shared learning, maintaining a risk register and reporting performance and compliance to commissioners.

Expected Outcomes

The regional model is intended to provide:

• More equitable access to complex termination services across South East ICB areas
• Reduced need for patients to travel outside the region for complex or later-gestation procedures
• Consistent clinical governance and safety standards
• A sustainable regional workforce with maintained medical and surgical CTOP skills
• Improved data visibility, quality assurance and outcome monitoring

Contract Information

• Buyer: NHS Thames Valley Integrated Care Board (ICB)
• Deadline: 2 October 2026, 12:00pm
• Contract Value: £1,344,000 excluding VAT
• Delivery Length: 5 years, with the option to extend for a further 2 years through two 12-month extensions
• Tender Link: Click here

The funding identified within the notice comprises £128,000 per year for training and £64,000 per year for network funding, giving a combined total of £192,000 per year.

This equates to £960,000 across the initial five-year term and £1,344,000 if both optional extension years are used. Activity funding will be paid retrospectively based on data collected centrally by the SPOA.

The Commissioner considers that the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE) do not apply, although bidders are required to undertake their own assessment.

Evaluation Criteria

Price is not the only award criterion. Specific award criteria and weightings are contained within the procurement documents and are therefore not disclosed within the notice.

The procurement is being conducted through an Open procedure and is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023.

Regulatory and Clinical Requirements

Providers must be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to deliver termination of pregnancy services under the regulated activity “Termination of pregnancies”.

Evidence of current CQC registration, scope of registration and latest compliance status must be provided. Providers must also maintain compliance with applicable CQC Fundamental Standards.

Clinical staff must hold appropriate professional registrations. This includes GMC registration and a valid licence to practise for medical practitioners and NMC registration for nursing and midwifery staff, with other specialists appropriately registered with their relevant professional regulator.

Providers must comply with the Abortion Act 1967, including applicable certification, notification, consent, safeguarding, confidentiality and record-keeping requirements.

A named Clinical Lead must be appointed who is a consultant-level clinician with demonstrable experience in complex pregnancy management. The provider must also demonstrate access to an appropriate multidisciplinary team and maintain systems covering governance, safeguarding, professional competence, audit and ongoing regulatory assurance.

The opportunity represents a significant regional commissioning exercise intended to establish a coordinated CTOP network across the South East, with the successful provider combining specialist clinical delivery with regional leadership, workforce development, governance and pathway coordination.

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