| Reference | FOI 2026 1826 |
|---|---|
| Description | FOI Request regarding insourcing & outsourcing providers |
| Date Requested | 16/06/2026 |
| Date Replied | 01/07/2026 |
| Category | Contract Management |
| Specialty (e.g. general surgery, ophthalmology etc) | Insourcing provider (fill empty rows with provider name, add rows if required) | Total spend (Apr-24-Mar-25) | Total spend (Apr-25-Mar-26) |
| Specialty (e.g. general surgery, ophthalmology etc) | Insourcing provider (fill empty rows with provider name, add rows if required) | Contract start date | Contract end date (please leave blank if not set) | Formal tender process conducted? | Procurement framework used for award (for example, NHS SBS) | Estimated contract value |
Outsourcing
| Specialty (e.g. general surgery, ophthalmology etc) | Outsourcing provider (fill empty rows with provider name, add rows if required) | Total spend (Apr-24-Mar-25) | Total spend (Apr-25-Mar-26) |
| Specialty (e.g. general surgery, ophthalmology etc) | Outsourcing provider (fill empty rows with provider name, add rows if required) | Contract start date | Contract end date (please leave blank if not set) | Formal tender process conducted? | Procurement framework used for award (for example, NHS SBS) | Estimated contract value |
If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section 12, please provide advice and assistance, under the Section 16 obligations of the Act, as to how I can refine my request – for example by suggesting certain parts of the request to prioritise initially.
*What is insourcing? [NHS England SBS definition]
Insourcing is defined as the employment of a third-party organisation to perform medical services/procedures on trust premises. It differs to locum and agency staffing supply with the full end to end service being provided, not just staff.
The supplier uses the NHS organisation’s premises and equipment to deliver these services. Insourcing is largely focused on secondary care and the services are generally used out of hours when the premises/equipment is not being used by the NHS, thus making efficient use of the services.
Insourcing is designed to be results driven by utilising additional capacity provided by a supplier. This could be, for example, but not limited to, reducing patient waiting lists by a certain number over a given period or to triage a certain number of patients within a given period. Virtual patient appointments may also be undertaken by the insourced provider.
Insourcing
NHS Greater Manchester ICB is a commissioner of healthcare services, rather than a provider. As such, NHS GM does not hold assets that would facilitate the delivery of clinical services on ICB premises. NHS GM instead commissions providers to provide healthcare services for. This arrangement does not meet the definition of insourcing.
Outsourcing
As stated above, NHS GM is a commissioner of healthcare services. The organisation is not responsible for the provision and delivery of healthcare services; therefore, it is not possible for NHS GM to outsource the responsibility for provision of services. Instead, as a commission, NHS GM enters into contracts with providers to deliver services themselves. Details of the providers NHS GM has commissioned is available within our contracts register which is publicly available on our website via the following link Publication scheme | Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership under “Lists and registers”.
