Dementia Post Diagnostic Support Service - NHS/SOEPS/21.826 - CAN

This notice is to inform the market of the direct award of 24-month contracts for the provision of Dementia Post Diagnostic Support Services, to East Sussex County Council for East Sussex and to the Alzheimer's Society for West Sussex and Brighton & Hove for NHS Sussex ('the Integrated Care Board') commencing 1st April 2023 for a period of 24 months. NHS Sussex is directly awarding these 24-month contracts to East Sussex County Council and the Alzheimer's Society, to ensure key organisational change and transformation objectives, including the development of equitable Sussex wide approaches to service delivery, are delivered. This will include the development of convergent standards and performance metrics, benchmarking of investment based on population needs, evident Health Inequalities and will be informed by population health clinical intelligence. This will provide the necessary additional time for NHS Sussex to complete and embed its necessary transformation work and to understand better and accurately specify future specifications for these services. This will then inform commissioning intentions which will be put to the market in 2024. The direct award decisions have been made on a strategic and clinical basis, in the context of meeting patient need and improving service equity at a time of significant national and local strategic service delivery transformation. Contract value for East Sussex County Council (covers East Sussex) = £1,569,688 over the two year period. Contract value for Alzheimer's Society = £1,104,118 over the two year period (covers West Sussex) & £212,000 over the two year period (covers Brighton & Hove) = Total value £1,316,118 National strategy dictates that health care systems ensure that people living with dementia are supported to live at home with their families for as long as possible. Early diagnosis and intervention, advance care planning, timely access to specialist assessment and treatment, and effective support for carers are key components of good care. Post diagnosis support services are the cornerstone to ensuring that people living with dementia and those that care for them are supported throughout their dementia journey. The services provide emotional support, practical facilitation, access to wellbeing interventions, guidance and information. Working with Primary Care, they support identification of issues leading to deterioration and provide Care Coordination and Advanced Care Planning. Service provision includes, Early Onset Dementia, complex, challenging and end of life/bereavement support. The services work alongside Memory Assessment Service provision to support virtual diagnostic assessment.