High Intensity User Service (Sussex) NHS/SOEPS/21.825 RFI

High Intensity User Service (Sussex) NHS/SOEPS/20.825 RFI

NHS East Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group

NHS West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group

NHS Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group

Request for Information (RFI)

The Commissioner is seeking the views of Healthcare Providers in relation to the provision of a High Intensity User Service in Sussex, based on the Blackpool model (as published in the Commissioning for Value Casebook, February 2015). The Commissioner is considering a contract period of 3 years with an option to extend for a further period of up to 2 years (3+2), commencing in 2022.

This is a process designed to help the Commissioner to form a view of the best way to commission the service and is not the beginning of a Tender exercise. A Tender advertisement may be issued at the appropriate time, if required, should the Commissioner consider that the optimum route to commission the service is through a procurement exercise. Some questions may seem more relevant and easier to respond to than others at the moment. Please try to respond to as many as you can, as your views are valuable whether or not you have previously come across all of the aspects covered.

Service Description and Outcomes

High Intensity User Leads and supporting staff will be commissioned to work with frequent attenders who present at Emergency Departments in Sussex.

A relatively small percentage of patients are known to generate a disproportionately high percentage of Emergency Department (ED) attendances and non-elective (NEL) hospital admissions. This places high demand on ambulance and unscheduled care services. It can also seriously impact upon the availability of emergency ambulances within our communities.

The High Intensity User Leads and supporting staff will work with the most frequent attenders at each CCG Trust's Emergency Departments; managing a caseload of 50 patients per worker per year.

Lead workers will be expected to work in a non-medicalised model that deals with the underlying psychosocial causes of inappropriate attendance at Emergency Departments. The majority of contact with service users will be by phone and will focus on identifying and de-medicalising the individual's needs, re-connecting the individual with local community support and developing de-escalation strategies.

The main expected outcomes of the service are:

• Improved quality of life for the patients
• Reduced A&E attendance by 40% for the cohort of patients
• Reduced non-elective stays in hospital by 40% for the cohort of patients
• Reduced ambulance conveyance rate by 15% for this cohort of patients (as a by product)

Your feedback at this point will not have a bearing on any future Tender submissions you may wish to offer at a later date, should the Commissioner undertake a procurement for this service. You will not be disadvantaged if you choose not to respond to this RFI but it will be helpful to understand your views at this early stage, so you are encouraged to respond as fully as you can.

Please complete your response and return via our eTendering Portal, reference: High Intensity User Service (Sussex) NHS/SOEPS/21.825/RFI by 5pm on 17th November 2021.

Thank you for your participation - we appreciate your time and effort in completing this RFI.