The 16 commissioning groups have issued a £172m tender for an integrated care model that will provide access treatment and advice linked with community services, emergency service department and social care functions.

The tender is being led by NHS Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG and aims to provide a “front door” to the NHS, including access to NHS 111 and GP-led out of hours services.

The procurement exercise is divided into six separate lots catering for both the combined and separate needs of 16 different CCGs across the West Midlands.

The other CCGs involved with the procurement include:

• NHS Redditch and Bromsgrove CCG
• NHS Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG
• NHS Shropshire Clinical Commissioning CCG
• NHS Solihull Clinical Commissioning CCG
• NHS South Warwickshire CCG
• NHS South Worcestershire CCG
• NHS Telford and Wrekin CCG
• NHS Walsall CCG
• NHS Warwickshire North CCG
• NHS Wolverhampton CCG
• NHS Wyre Forest CCG

The tender notice reads: "This will be a pivotal service for the local urgent care health and social care economies in the West Midlands and will need to be able to work at a regional and local level in helping patients access the right care at the right time.”

The contrast will last four years, with an option to extend it for another 2 years.

Bidders have until April 29 to express their interest in the procurement exercise.

An organisation will be appointed to provide NHS 111 when the current contract expires and additional providers will be sought to provide out of hours services across five different lots under the contract.

The other key aim will require urgent care services to be integrated with NHS 111 and GP out of hours services in the region in line with key commissioning standards set out last September.

The first lot of the procurement seeks to provide NHS 111 access and clinical hub services to the 16 West Midlands CCGs that include NHS Birmingham CrossCity, NHS Birmingham South, NHS Coventry and Rugby, as well as NHS Dudley and NHS Herefordshire.

Lot two will focus on the provision of GP-led out of hours services to NHS Birmingham South Central CCG, with the third looking to provide similar functions to NHS Redditch and Bromsgrove CCG, NHS South Worcestershire CCG and NHS Wyre Forest CCG.

The three remaining lots will provide GP-led out of hours services to NHS Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG, NHS Herefordshire CCG, as well as NHS South Warwickshire CCG and NHS Warwickshire North CCG respectively.