Section one: Contracting authority/entity
one.1) Name and addresses
NHS North East London Integrated Care Board
4th Floor, Unex Tower, 5 Station Street
LONDON
E15 1DA
Contact
Shaju Jose
Telephone
+44 7920500896
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UKI42 - Tower Hamlets
NHS Organisation Data Service
A3A8R
Internet address(es)
Main address
https://northeastlondon.icb.nhs.uk/
Buyer's address
https://northeastlondon.icb.nhs.uk/
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
Health
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Tower Hamlets NHS Talking Therapies
Reference number
PRJ-1303
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 85100000 - Health services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
NHS NEL has a requirement to ensure the continued provision of NHS Talking Therapies (NTT) across all its borough based areas that meet the Long Term Plan (LTP) five-year plan to 23/24 requirements:
- Increase access to NTT services as outlined in the LTP trajectories
- Offer NTT-Long Term Conditions (NTT-LTC) services (including
co-location of therapists in primary care)
- Meet NTT referral to treatment time and recovery standards: 50% NTT recovery rate; 75% of people accessing treatment within 6 weeks NTT waiting time; and 95% of people accessing treatment within 18 weeks NTT waiting time
- First to Second appointment waits (assessment to treatment) 90% under 90 days.
The existing Tower Hamlets Primary Care Psychological Therapies contract, known locally as Tower Hamlets Talking Therapies, with East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) will end on 30 September 2023 and it is NHS NEL's intention to re-award the contract to the incumbent provider for 12 months with an option to extend for 6 months.
Annual contract value: £5,663,000
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
Value excluding VAT: £8,494,500
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKI4 - Inner London – East
Main site or place of performance
71 Johnson St, London E1 0AQ
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
NHS NEL intends to re-award the Tower Hamlets Primary Care Psychological Therapies contract, known locally as Tower Hamlets Talking Therapies, to the incumbent provider, East London NHS Foundation Trust.
The contract includes provision of the Tower Hamlets NHS Talking Therapies Service as per the NTT manual (2023) with contractual requirements to meet or exceed all aforementioned Long Term Plan targets. The access target for 23/24 is 9,128 Tower Hamlets residents entering treatment.
In addition to the core NTT provision, the contract will specify the continued provision of a primary care eating disorders treatment offer, a fast track perinatal pathway, locally developed bereavement support pathways as well as the health and care staff support scheme.
The re-award will also include the contractual requirement for the continuation of the sub-contractual joint delivery arrangement with a VCSE provider(s), currently Mind in Tower Hamlets, Newham and Redbridge, to ensure the ongoing benefits of an integrated service delivery model to our local residents.
two.2.5) Award criteria
Price
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition in the cases listed below
- The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the regulations
Explanation:
The contract award decision is aligned to the interim NEL Integrated Care Strategy, allowing the ICB to maintain the high trust environment that has been developed over the preceding five years, alongside ensuring minimal disruption to the well-established integrated system pathways and collaborations across Tower Hamlets Place. The ICB is seeking to limit disruptions to the integrated service provision that would impact our local residents living with common mental illness, of which, Tower Hamlets is the most challenged London borough, which has been further exacerbated by the recent Covid-19 pandemic.
The re-award to ELFT is also intended to further embed the service in a local Anchor Organisation in Tower Hamlets and NEL ICS.
Further details of the Anchor Organisation and the established local integrated pathways and collaborations are listed below. These demonstrate the breadth and complexity of the system that NHS NEL is seeking to protect from disruption for the benefit of our local populations, alongside avoiding wasteful legal and administration costs.
Anchor Organisation Benefits
o A contractual obligations with ELFT suppliers to ensure they pay their staff the Real Living Wage.
o Commitments from ELFT suppliers to recruit people from the local areas/communities ELFT serve, develop apprenticeship programmes to help support young people from the local area, encourage more recruitment of people from BAME backgrounds and other identified priority groups, and working with suppliers to help develop their net zero plan to reduce their carbon footprint and impact on the environment.
• ELFT People Participation:
o Structured system of paid service user involvement and coproduction including training; volunteering placements and employment routes- e.g., peer support worker roles.
• ELFT Communications Team:
o Advertising PWP trainee and CBT trainee posts in Tower Hamlets local media to encourage local resident to apply. Marketing has focussed specifically on encouraging BAME residents to apply for these trainee posts.
• ELFT Apprenticeship schemes:
o Support to set up PWP apprenticeship scheme encouraging recruitment of local residents who do not have an undergraduate degree to gain PWP qualification.
• THTT working in partnership with the local Universities and colleges e.g., Queen Mary College student internship placements with THTT; joint clinical service planning/delivery with University counselling service/Students Union.
• THTT providing training and consultation to LBTH staff; primary care health staff and VCSEs- e.g., improving staff wellbeing and resilience; Identifying common mental health problems and onward referral options.
• THTT representation on:
o Tower Hamlets Together board
o NEL ICB Health Board
Existing Integrated Care Systems:
Integration with ELFT Services in Tower Hamlets
Integration with Bart's Heath Health Psychology/Long Term Health Conditions Care Pathway
Integration with Primary care
Integration with London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Integration with Community and Third Sector
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
Section five. Award of contract/concession
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract/concession
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
14 July 2023
five.2.2) Information about tenders
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor/concessionaire
East London NHS Foundation Trust
LONDON
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UKI4 - Inner London – East
NHS Organisation Data Service
RAT
The contractor/concessionaire is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot/concession (excluding VAT)
Initial estimated total value of the contract/lot/concession: £8,494,500
Total value of the contract/lot/concession: £8,494,500
Section six. Complementary information
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
NHS North East London Integrated Care Board
London
Country
United Kingdom