Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
NHS West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group
Wicker House, High Street
Worthing
BN11 1DJ
Contact
Sarah Rix - Senior Procurement Manager
sarah.rix@soeprocurement.nhs.uk
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UKJ27 - West Sussex (South West)
Internet address(es)
Main address
one.3) Communication
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via
https://in-tendhost.co.uk/soepscommissioning/aspx/Home
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
Mental Health Pathfinder Alliance - Tier 2 Services
Reference number
NHS/SOEPS/21.805/PIN
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 85100000 - Health services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
This notice is to inform the market of the intention to directly award a 2 year contract with potential extension option of up to one further year (2+1) to the nine listed providers, for the provision of a Pathfinder Tier 2 Mental Health Service for NHS West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group ('the CCG') from 1st April 2022.
two.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT: £11,929,884
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKJ27 - West Sussex (South West)
- UKJ28 - West Sussex (North East)
Main site or place of performance
West Sussex
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
This notice is to inform the market of the intention to directly award a 2 year contract with potential extension option of up to one further year (2+1) to the nine listed providers, for the provision of a Pathfinder Tier 2 Mental Health Service for NHS West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group ('the CCG') from 1st April 2022.
The intention is to directly award these contracts to the listed providers as the current providers of the service. The CCG is nationally mandated to develop tier 2 mental health services to the model of the Long Term Plan and the current providers have the local knowledge, experience and relationships already in place to support this model as an established alliance.
In order to maintain the value of the current alliance, which is critical for the delivery of services and has been established since 2016, a direct award is being sought to ensure continuity of provision and the ability of the CCG to quickly respond to the time limited requirements of the Long Term Plan alongside PCNs.
These voluntary sector services provide tier 2 mental health support in the community across West Sussex, including employment support, individual and group interventions and telephone support.
Integration is key in Pathfinder, with services expected to work as partners to improve and develop the alliance. The alliance is founded on the principle of partnership rather than competition and the development of the ambitions of the Long Term Plan will increase the opportunity for wider integration with Primary Care Networks and GPs. Providers have committed to working together and sharing local developments in partnership based on need rather than market share.
A strong voluntary sector mental health offer is a key part of the NHS Long Term Plan for Mental Health, to ensure that people with mild to moderate mental health needs are able to access services in a timely fashion and in a flexible way. Pathfinder providers are expected to offer services in a variety of ways, for example group work, face to face individual appointments, telephone and web based offers.
Tier 2 mental health provision in the community, delivered by qualified voluntary sector partners is an established and clinically defined provision. Whilst being required to work collaboratively with local NHS and non-NHS partners, they represent a key part of community provision and access point for individuals to find support. The Pathfinder Alliance plays a critical role in the Mental Health Community Pathway as part of Long Term Plan aligned with Mental Health National policy direction. From 2019, aligned to the Long-Term Plan for Mental Health, all STPs/ICS have been expected to expand and develop local community offers over the course of the five years through transformation funding.
The Pathfinder Alliance is designed to support people effectively in the community by offering a variety of options for support, reducing the requirement for people to access GP provision or urgent care offers.
This proposal to directly award the contract is made in the context of identified patient need and pressures on the local mental health system, and as such supporting the requirement to align to the outcomes of the Long Term Plan. This alignment to the Long Term Plan (LTP) will enable delivery of targets outlined and associated expectations to invest in community services, and to reduce the number of people requiring emergency or urgent care due to effective supportive alternatives in the community.
Given the known benefits that the model has already evidenced, and will continue to bring to the community mental health system during a time of increased demand due to the COVID 19 pandemic, NHS West Sussex CCG has endorsed the decision to directly award a 2 year contract (with 1 year extension option) to the listed providers.
Please note: NHS England and Improvement have announced that the Sussex Health and Care Partnership, which is made up of all health and care organisations across East Sussex, West Sussex, and Brighton and Hove, has successfully met the criteria to become an Integrated Care System (ICS). An ICS is a way of working across health and care organisations that allows them to work closer together, to take collective responsibility of the health and wellbeing of populations across large areas.
It is not anticipated that the statutory responsibility or accountability of the individual health and care organisations working as an ICS will be affected, save for the expectation that CCG organisations will be abolished and functions transferred to the ICS. As a result of these intended healthcare reforms, the Contracting Authority(s) currently NHS East Sussex CCG/NHS West Sussex CCG/NHS Brighton and Hove CCG, may change during the life of the contract.
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Restricted procedure
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: No
four.2) Administrative information
four.2.2) Time limit for receipt of expressions of interest
Date
29 October 2021
Local time
12:00am
four.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted
English
Section six. Complementary information
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
Refer to NHS South of England Procurement Services
Lewes
sarah.rix@soeprocurement.nhs.uk
Country
United Kingdom