Crisis Text Services to South West NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs)

This notice is placed as a Prior Information Notice (PIN) to inform the market of NHS ICB's in the South West of England, (the Commissioner's), intention to commission a 24/7 text messaging support service. The Commissioner would like to understand the level of provider interest in delivering these services. The service will support people at times of crisis and be evidenced as able to support people who are or may be: • Highly anxious or stressed • Depressed or in a heightened emotional state • Suicidal or at risk of harm to themselves The overall aim of the service will be to offer an alternative to people who may not use telephone services to access emergency support, and to provide a digital platform to offer support and escalation, signpost to existing local services that takes into account waiting lists and referral pathways and works in harmony with local services. The service will reduce the number of people reaching crisis and need for further more intensive support. Outcomes are expected to include: • Support provided directly • Referral to services that can support locally • Sharing of information and self-help tools where appropriate • Identification of serious risk of harm and escalation to emergency services when required • Support for people with known and ongoing mental health issues including serious mental health and personality disorders The service provider will need to offer a consistent 24/7 service across the 7 South West England ICBs, and work in each of the 7 Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) to establish the required local pathways and escalation measures as required. As this is a new service area providers will be expected to provide activity reports and thematic analysis of usage including reasons for service use, onward referrals and service outcomes as much as is possible. This information will then support decisions around longer term funding. Whilst NHS BNSSG ICB is putting this PIN forward, the full list of ICBs working collaboratively to consider these services and their individual estimate annual budgets are as follows: - NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly ICB (£66k p/a) - NHS Devon ICB (£141k p/a) - NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (BSW) ICB (£88k p/a) - NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) ICB (£116k p/a) - NHS Dorset ICB (£87k p/a) - NHS Gloucestershire ICB (£66k p/a) - NHS Somerset ICB (£94k p/a) This means a combined estimated annual value of £658,000. At this time the ICBs are considering contract terms of up to 3 years, so a total estimated opportunity value of £1,974,000 (over 3 years). These figures are early estimates and are liable to change. The Commissioners are looking for expressions of interest from providers who have the capability and capacity to deliver the requirement, as well as responses to some general market engagement questions. This information will used by the Commissioners to inform their next steps. Full detail of the envisaged service specification is available once you have registered on Atamis and located the opportunity. TUPE does not apply. The deadline to register your interest is 12:00 Tuesday 17th December 2024. This exercise is being managed by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioners. Additional information: The services are healthcare services falling within Schedule 3 to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 ("the Regulations") which are not subject to the full regime of the Regulations, but are instead governed by the "Light Touch Regime" contained within Chapter 3, Section 7 of the Regulations (Regulations 74 to 77).