Guidance

Appendix A: application instructions and assessment criteria

Published 24 April 2024

Applies to England

General information

These instructions, together with the prospectus document and other information and documents to which they refer, are designed to ensure that each completed proof of concept (PoC) application is treated fairly. It is important, therefore, that you provide all the information asked for in the format and order specified.

Eligible integrated care boards (ICBs) need to submit a completed EAs in MSK PoC application, on behalf of the MSK service and other work and health partners and providers, to be considered for selection for one of the PoC sites. 

An eligible ICB is any NHS ICB which is not in the NHS national recovery support programme (RSP) at the time of submitting their application. ICBs in the RSP are not eligible to apply to deliver a PoC site. For the avoidance of doubt, the term applicant throughout these documents refers to an eligible ICB applying to deliver an EAs in MSK PoC site.

As outlined in the prospectus, the local system partnership will consist of ICBs, MSK services and MSK clinicians. As appropriate they will work alongside a wider group of local organisations including but not limited to, primary care networks, local employers, jobcentres, local authorities and their economic development and public health services, organisations that provide employment advice and voluntary and community sector organisations.

Applicants need to ensure that they have read all the documentation contained within this pack.

The terms defined in the glossary (appendix C) have the same meaning in these instructions.

Administration of the application process

The application process opens on 24 April 2024 and you have until 11:55pm on 24 May 2024 to email your application to the relevant Joint Work and Health Directorate (JWHD) team at jwhd.msk@dwp.gov.uk.

The EAs in MSK pathway project is administered by the JWHD jointly sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Payments to PoC sites will be awarded through NHS England. Further information on funding administration and payment can be found in appendix C, funding guidance.

Applications will be assessed in accordance with the process outlined in section 3 of this document. JWHD will write to applicants (using contact details provided) to inform them whether they will be offered funding to be a PoC site. As a PoC site, the applicant will enter a memorandum of understanding (MoU) funding agreement with NHS England.

Amendments to the PoC application process or documents by JWHD

JWHD reserves the right to:

• change the basis of or the procedures for the EAs in MSK funding award process at any time
• amend, clarify, add to, or withdraw all or any part of the application instructions and assessment criteria, the prospectus, the funding agreement such as the MoU, and any documents attached or referred there to, at any time during the application process, including varying any timetable or deadlines set out in these application instructions
• cancel all or part of the EAs in MSK application and/or award process at any stage, at any time
• not conclude the EAs in application and award process, or award some or all the funding for which PoC applications are invited

The project aims to test out models in a diverse range of settings which, within resources available, can provide employment advice to people who are living with MSK conditions. The JWHD reserves the right to explore with the top 14 ranked applicants the possibility of adjusting their estimated numbers of MSK patients or clients (either up or down). These discussions would be without obligation on any party and will not affect selection as a EAs in MSK PoC site. The top 14 are the PoC sites intended to commence later in 2024. See steps 6a and 6b under the assessment criteria and scoring methodology section of this document, for further detail.

All applicants accept and acknowledge that the JWHD is not bound to accept any application or obliged to award EAs in MSK funding to any applicant at all.

Costs and expenses

All applicants will be liable for all costs incurred in the preparation and submission of their application. Neither DHSC or DWP will be liable for these costs and the funding recipients cannot use their EAs in MSK funding to cover costs incurred in the preparation and submission of their application.

Questions on the application process

To inform development of the prospectus, we held co-design and engagement workshops. We would now like to offer the opportunity for interested parties to attend webinars where we can answer questions. There will be 2 webinars, which we plan to host in late spring. We will invite interested parties to attend. A question and answer log will be produced to capture questions asked during the webinar and subsequently updated regularly, dependent on additional questions asked.

Any interested party may subscribe to the mailing list for the question and answer log by indicating an interest in the initiative. Please indicate if you would like to subscribe by sending an email to jwhd.msk@dwp.gov.uk with the subject heading ‘Question and Answer Log’.

Questions can also be submitted for consideration at any time throughout the application period, to jwhd.msk@dwp.gov.uk. All questions will be reviewed to determine whether the response given provides useful clarification for prospective applicants. A response deemed useful in this way will be incorporated into an update to the question and answer log which will be circulated to all subscribed interested parties directly via email.

JWHD will signpost prospective applications to information relevant to questions, which is already available through the prospectus and accompanying appendices. JWHD will aim to respond to questions within 5 working days.

Should there be anything in your clarification question which you feel is sensitive to your area, please identify this when raising the question. In cases such as this, the JWHD may respond only to the prospective PoC applicant that has asked the clarification question (and does not include the question or answer in the question and answer log). This will apply in cases where the JWHD is satisfied that (a) the clarification question is sensitive to that prospective PoC applicant’s area and (b) responding only to that prospective PoC applicant would not be contrary to a fair competition.

Where the JWHD is not satisfied the above criteria are met, we will provide the questioner with the opportunity to either withdraw the clarification question or confirm that the question and answer can be included in the question and answer log.

Note that in all cases, the JWHD’s handling of applications and clarification questions submitted will be subject always to the UK government’s obligations under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Environmental Information Regulations (EIR), and any other applicable legislation which may result in the information submitted being disclosed.

Data security

Please be aware of sensitive information that you may wish to include in your PoC application. Use anonymised information if you are referring to a specific example. Do note, the whole of the application process and the issue and use of funding is subject to standard freedom of information requests.

Application timetable

Set out below is the proposed application timetable. This is intended as a guide and, while the JWHD does not intend to deviate significantly from it, there may be occasions where the application timetable will be subject to change. The proposed timetable is as follows:

• launch of application exercise: 24 April 2024
• application deadline: 11:55pm on 24 May 2024
• successful ICBs notified of selection: June 2024

All applications must be received by the submission deadline. If an application is submitted after the deadline, it will not be evaluated.

EAs in MSK PoC application completion

Completing the PoC application form

If an applicant wants to apply for more than one PoC site, you should submit one application per PoC site.

Applicants should answer all questions using the template provided, presenting them in the same sequence and using the same references. Only information entered into the appropriate answer boxes (which may be extended as necessary, but should not exceed any applicable maximum word count) will be taken into consideration for the purposes of scoring the application form.

We have applied a maximum word count on your response to all scored questions. These limits are provided in the application form template. Any words exceeding the allocated word count may be disregarded entirely and may not be evaluated. The application template structure should not be altered.

No additional documentation should be submitted with the application. The only exception to this is if applicants would like to provide letters of support from local delivery partners. These letters should be submitted separately in PDF format alongside the completed application. Attachments submitted outside of the application form will not be formally assessed using the assessment criteria scoring methodology.

In recognition that some ICBs will have already invested time and effort in providing information as part of the WorkWell application process, the JWHD encourages those ICBs and partners to utilise any WorkWell-related application information in how they respond to the application. Though the 2 projects are different, it is anticipated that there is added value in ensuring alignment and complementary approaches.  

Submitting your finished application

Your PoC application may be completed and submitted at any time before the submission deadline by emailing jwhd.msk@dwp.gov.uk.

The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application form has been fully completed and all information included, prior to the application submission deadline.

The applicant can modify and re-submit the application at any time prior to the submission deadline. Any revised application should be clearly marked as a revision to an existing application in the covering email and state the time and date of the email containing the earlier application it supersedes. Applications cannot be modified after the submission deadline. All applications will receive a confirmation of receipt via email from the JWHD.

Declaration compliance

We want to ensure that all applications can pass compliance checks to avoid the rejection of an application. Please ensure that the following checks are complete before submitting your application. All applicants must ensure that they have:

• completed the required declarations in sections 4.2 and 5 of the application form
• responded to all questions

After the deadline for PoC applications passes, each valid application will be assessed against the assessment criteria which is set out below.

Application assessment process

Application appraisal and selection panel 

The JWHD have convened an application selection panel and support team whose responsibility it is to take forward the selection process. The support team will independently appraise applications before convening with the selection panel to scrutinise and moderate the application scores, rank, and agree the longer list of PoC sites for starting in 2024 to 2025 - and those applicants who intend to start in 2025 to 2026.

Assessment criteria and scoring methodology

Each scored question will be marked out of 6. The summary table below shows the number of points, if any, available for each question and any weightings applied to the question. Further details on the requirements of each section are detailed in the application form (appendix B).

Note: questions with no score attached will be reviewed, but will not contribute to final score totals.

The highest total score available is 48. A score breakdown per section is below.

Section 1

There are no points available in this section.

Section 2

Response number	Points available	Weighting applied
Section 2.1: outline the areas where you propose to deliver your EAs in MSK PoC	0	Not applicable
Section 2.2: please provide the rationale for prioritising these areas as locations and outline levels of economic inactivity, health disparities and MSK prevalence in this area	6	No weighting applied

Section 3

Response number	Points available	Weighting applied
Section 3.1: please list the key delivery partners that you will be working with and the role they will have in the PoC	0	Not applicable
Section 3.2: outline the delivery model and ‘patient journey’ that you propose to test in your EAs in MSK PoC location. Please include a description of the specific MSK services that EAs will be embedded in as part of the PoC and outline how EAs will bring the most benefit to MSK patients with work and health needs	6 (12 - with weighting)	100% weighting applied to points awarded - a 6-point score would be worth 12 points total
Section 3.3: describe how you will integrate and support EAs, including through recruitment and integration, within your specified model or local MSK service delivery teams. Include expected timeline for your PoC site operating, particularly the level of service you expect your pilot to be operating towards by November 2024	6 (12 - with weighting)	100% weighting applied to points awarded - a 6-point score would be worth 12 points total
Section 3.4: explain how your PoC will meet the specific minimum data set (clinicians) and MI requirements and fully comply with the national evaluation. Please outline how you will embrace a culture of learning within your PoC	6	No weighting applied
Section 3.5: describe how your PoC model could test out any new or novel approaches that could inform innovative approaches to delivering employment advice in MSK services including standing up EA services quicker	6	No weighting applied
Section 3.6: based on the EA team or model you have outlined in section 3.3, provide an estimate of the number of people you intend to support and the cost of your proposed PoC model	0	Not applicable

Section 4

Response number	Points available (of 39 total)	Weighting applied
Section 4.1: outline your approach to clinical governance	6	No weighting applied
Section 4.2: declaration on data protection	0	N/A

Section 5

There are no points available in this section.

The assessed element of the application form is comprised of 6 scored questions within the application. Each application will be scored using the assessment criteria in the table below.

Score	Reason
6	The response was robust, detailed, well-articulated in all material respects providing strong evidence of expert knowledge or that the criteria would be met, with no weaknesses or areas of concern with the content
4	The response presented evidence of expert knowledge - or that the criteria would be met - good in many respects but with minor weaknesses or concerns with the content
2	The response provided limited evidence of expert knowledge - or that the criteria would be met - there were major weaknesses or concerns with the content. The response lacked significant detail or clarity
0	The response did not provide evidence of expert knowledge - or that the criteria would be met - and was unsatisfactory in terms of content. Major weaknesses, issues or omissions were identified. The response was poorly articulated and/or inconsistent

Process for selection of successful applications

Step 1

Each applicant deemed to have submitted a valid application will be awarded an assessment score in accordance with the assessment criteria above, weightings will be applied where relevant to determine the applicant’s total score.

Step 2

The PoC applicant with the highest total score from each of the 7 NHSE regions will be selected as the region’s top scoring applicant. Subject to JWHD review, these applicants will then be added to the PoC site shortlist in order of their individual scores. Should no valid PoC application be received from a given region, no top scoring PoC applicant for that region will be added to the PoC site shortlist.

Step 3a

The PoC site shortlist will be checked to determine whether the applications on the shortlist cover embedding EAs in the services that provide care for the 4 main types of MSK pathways or services. These are physiotherapy, pain management, inflammatory, osteoporosis and fragility fractures. We want to ensure that at least 3 or more of each of these services is proposed to be a PoC site and in the PoC site shortlist. If this is the case, then step 3b will not be applied.

Step 3b

In score order, additional applicants proposing a PoC site in each of the 4 MSK services will be added to the shortlist until at least 3 of each of the4 types of MSK services are covered in the shortlist if sufficient applications are received to do so.

Step 4

In score order, applicants who are not yet shortlisted will be added to the PoC site shortlist until 14 applicants are on the shortlist or until no valid applicants remain to be shortlisted.

Step 5

The total estimated funding being applied for by applicants on the PoC site shortlist will be compared with the total funding available in the funding envelope to establish whether there is sufficient funding available for all applicants on the PoC site shortlist.

Step 6a

In the scenario where after assessment of the funding allocation to applicants on the PoC site shortlist, additional funding is still available, JWHD will explore adding further applicants to the PoC site shortlist.

Step 6b

In a scenario where the top-ranking PoC applicants are not collectively providing a diverse range of MSK services and settings, JWHD will explore the possibility of revising the proposals’ scope with relevant applicants to enable a broader range of settings or services aligned to allocation of funding.

Tie breaker

In the event of 2 or more applicants achieving the same assessment score, the following process will be applied:

Step 1

The applicant with the highest score for question 3.2 will be deemed to have the higher assessment score. If more than one grant applicant has the same score for question 3.2, then step 2 will apply.

Step 2

The applicant with the highest score for question 3.3 will be deemed to have the higher assessment score. If more than one applicant has the same score for question 3.3 then step 3 will apply.

Step 3

The applicant with the highest score for question 2.2 will be deemed to have the higher assessment score. If more than one applicant has the same score for question 2.2, then step 4 will apply.

Step 4

The applicant with the highest score for question 3.4 will be deemed to have the higher assessment score.