Clinical Digital Health Solutions (CDHS)
Framework Description
Clinical Digital Health Solutions (CDHS) is NHS London Procurement Partnership's single-lot framework for clinical systems, hosted by Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It replaced the earlier Clinical Digital Solutions (CDS) framework and runs until 30 September 2028. A catalogue model lets buyers procure EPR, PAS, pathology, radiology, pharmacy, patient support, specialist clinical and shared care record systems, and lets existing suppliers add new products during the term.
Context & Use Case
NHS trusts and integrated care systems use CDHS when replacing or upgrading the core systems that run patient care, from an acute or mental health EPR to a regional shared care record. Buyers can make a direct award or run a further competition against the catalogue. That makes it a common route for major system replacements where the buyer wants pre-assessed suppliers and lower procurement risk.
Scope of Services
Electronic Patient Record systems, including PAS, acute, community, mental health and ambulance EPR Pathology system solutions Radiology system solutions Pharmacy system solutions Patient support system solutions Specialist clinical system solutions Shared Care Record system solutions
Lots
Single lot (covering Electronic Patient Record System Solutions, Pathology, Radiology, Pharmacy, Patient Support, Specialist Clinical and Shared Care Record System Solutions)
Who Can Apply
Suits clinical software vendors and their resellers. CDHS is closed to new applications. Existing suppliers can add products through the catalogue if they meet the FVRA gold-level and core functional compliance requirements. Vendors not on CDHS should prepare for the planned successor, CDHS 2.0.
Buyer Benefits
Clinical system replacements are large, high-risk programmes, and a failed procurement can set an EPR back by years. Pre-assessed suppliers and set compliance thresholds give buyers confidence before they start. The catalogue also means a trust can buy newer products from existing suppliers during the term rather than being limited to what was offered at award.
Next Steps
CDHS suppliers should keep their catalogue entries current and talk to LPP's clinical digital team before adding products, so each meets the FVRA gold-level and functional checks. Vendors outside CDHS should watch the LPP pipeline for CDHS 2.0, which is likely to be procured ahead of the 30 September 2028 end date, and start gathering NHS deployment evidence now.
How Athena Can Help
EPR and clinical system competitions are long, technical and scored in detail. Athena's bid managers for IT tenders run the response from plan to submission, building win themes around deployment record, clinical safety and integration, and testing your likely score against rival vendors.
For vendors planning to join CDHS 2.0, our framework application writers prepare the selection answers, case studies and policies early, and our Procurement Act 2023 bid guidance keeps the submission compliant under the new rules.
