NHS Talking Therapies British Sign Language (BSL)

Service Overview:

To support up to 21 Deaf Hertfordshire residents for 2025/26, and expected to support 16 Deaf Hertfordshire residents for 26/27 with British Sign Language (BSL) NHS Talking Therapies. These figures are based on the expectation that the 25/26 funding can be accrued at year-end. If the accrual is not possible, the stated numbers may require a minor adjustment.

The Provider must deliver both face‑to‑face and online sessions based on Service User need, ensuring confidential clinical space and suitably trained practitioners.

Quality and KPIs:

The Service must comply with the NHS Talking Therapies Manual and NICE guidance, including stepped-care delivery, appropriate session dosage, accredited clinicians, and provision of BSL-accessible digital self‑help tools to support post‑discharge recovery.

Monthly KPI monitoring by IHCCT will require:

• At least 48% reliable improvement
• At least 67% reliable recovery
• 75% starting treatment within 6 weeks
• 95% starting treatment within 18 weeks

NICE and NHS TT Compliance:

The Service must fully align with NICE Depression in Adults Guideline NG222, ensuring accessible and culturally competent assessment and treatment for Deaf BSL users. This includes comprehensive assessments, adapted outcome measures, equitable access and delivery of Counselling for Depression, CBT‑based guided self‑help, behavioural activation and relapse‑prevention in BSL. Treatment must involve shared decision‑making and meet the same quality standards as for hearing populations.

The Service must also comply with the NHS Talking Therapies Manual (v7, 2024) requirements for evidence‑based interventions, accredited practitioners, appropriate supervision and mandatory session‑by‑session outcomes. Digital tools must be secure, clinically appropriate and fully BSL-accessible.

Therapeutic Interventions:

The Provider must offer: facilitated cCBT, Step 2 PWP interventions, High‑Intensity CBT, Counselling for Depression, EMDR, IPT and Counselling for Couples. Expected delivery includes an average of 6 sessions at Step 2 and 12 sessions at Step 3, with caseload split approximately 65-70% Step 2 and 30-35% Step 3.

Workforce Requirements:

The workforce must be accredited, have full safeguarding governance, be able to deliver BSL Talking Therapies and accept both self‑referrals and professional referrals. Therapists must be fluent BSL users (minimum CACDP Level 6). Required professional registrations include BACP, UKCP, BPC, BABCP, PWP accreditation, postgraduate Low‑Intensity CBT qualifications or Master's‑level CBT training. Staffing must include approximately 4 FTE Step 2 and 4 FTE Step 3 practitioners, plus a designated Contract Lead and senior clinical oversight.

Experience and Compliance:

Providers must demonstrate experience delivering NICE‑concordant BSL Talking Therapies, stepped care, use of accredited workforce, NHS Digital dataset submissions, pathway integration and provision of BSL digital self‑help tools. Additional evidence may be requested.

Data Requirements:

The Provider must complete monthly NHS Talking Therapies dataset submissions to NHS Digital, maintain secure IT systems for outcomes reporting and ensure routine outcomes inform clinical supervision and quality improvement. Required data includes referral numbers, waiting times, numbers entering/completing treatment, recovery and improvement outcomes, DNAs, incidents, complaints, demographic information, PEQ feedback, session totals and all clinical outcome measures. Monthly local reporting to commissioners is mandatory.

Governance and Safety:

The Provider must maintain safe‑recruitment processes including enhanced DBS checks, registration and qualification verification and right‑to‑work checks. Clinical supervision must comply with the NHS Talking Therapies Manual, UCL Supervision Standards and the Supervision Competency Framework. All therapists must be fluent BSL users (minimum CACDP Level 6 or equivalent).

Economic & Financial Standing:

Capacity to deliver block funded activity . Monthly payments tied to delivery evidence. Ability to notify commissioners if demand exceeds capacity. Turnover (or income) of at least two times the annual contact value (£34,013) which is £68,026. Where the Tenderer is a profit-making organisation, that the Tenderer has gross profit / turnover ratio of at least 10%.Where the Tenderer is a non-profit making/charitable organisation, that the Tenderer has an operating surplus greater than 0%, and where this is not the case, that any reported deficit is either a planned deficit, or fully explained in the accounts. The Tenderer has a minimum liquidity ratio of 1.00. Where the Tenderer is a non-profit making/charitable organisation, that the Tenderer has unrestricted reserves equivalent to six (6) months' operating costs for the Service, which is £22,321. There should be an unqualified audit opinion. Dun & Bradstreet risk of low, low-moderate or moderate

Technical & Professional Ability - Must Have Experience Providing

NICE concordant Talking Therapies in BSL, stepped care delivery, accredited clinicians, dataset submission to NHS Digital, strong interdependencies across pathways, provision of digital BSL self help tools.

Assessment will be based on the following Key Criteria:

Quality and innovation - 35%

Value - 15%

Integration, collaboration and service sustainability - 20%

Improving access, reducing health inequalities and facilitating choice - 20%

Social value - 10%

We may ask for further information from the provider to support any of the above requirements.