Stroke Communication Support · UK public procurement notice

As per published PIN with call for competition 2022/S 000-002194.

Background

Stroke is the fourth single leading cause of death in the UK and the single largest cause of

complex disability . Stroke mortality has halved in the last two decades . However, without

further action, due to changing demographics, the number of people having a stroke will

increase by almost half, and the number of stroke survivors living with disability will increase

by a third by 2035 .

Each year, approximately 110,000 people in England have a first or recurrent stroke. Most

people survive a first stroke but often have significant morbidity. More than 900,000 people

in England are living with the effects of stroke.

Communication problems are very common after a stroke. Around one-third of stroke

survivors have problems with speaking, reading, writing and understanding what other

people say to them.

Service Description

The Stroke Communication Support Service is a key source of after care for people who

experience communication difficulties after stroke and their carers, offering bespoke non

time-limited interventions in one-to-one and group settings depending on the needs and

goals of the service user. The service is unique in providing vital psychological and practical

support at a well identified well-being low point: there is no other service meeting this need.

The service offers structured communication workshops offering support with a range of

communication needs and looking at practical support with daily activities and supporting

people back into employment, assisting both stroke sufferer and an employer with practical

ways to support patient's return to work. It is particularly important, as a significant

percentage of people using the service are of the working age.

Prior to the pandemic, home visits and telephone appointments made up the majority of

contacts undertaken with service users, but the service has adapted well to the new, remote

ways of working. Unexpectedly, online offer of one-to-one and group support was very well

received by the stroke survivors and carers. These were also attended by people who would

have not attended face-to-face appointments due to difficulty with traveling and gave an

opportunity to create additional groups, attended by people from wider geographical areas.

The service covers geographical areas of Southampton and Hampshire, including: South

West, Southampton, South East, Fareham & Gosport, Mid & North, and North East

Hampshire and Farnham.

The existing annual value of the contract for all localities wishing to put in place new

1 year (plus 1-year extension) arrangement is £133,166 per annum.

1.1 It is commissioners' intention to continue to provide the above-described service.

1.2 The longer-term commissioning intention is to review the current service specification in

line with emerging Integrated Stroke Delivery Network developments and national

specification for Life After Stroke Service. Publication of this national service specification

was expected in 2021 but has been delayed due to ongoing pandemic and is expected in the

near future but an exact timescale for publication is currently uncertain.

2. Rationale for Preferred Direct Award Ensuring Continuity of Service

2.1 Stroke Association, as a national charity delivering stroke services across the UK,

supporting stroke survivors and raising public awareness of stroke and stroke prevention, is

uniquely placed to deliver the service of this nature. This support will not be delivered by

clinicians.

2.2 Stroke Association offers added value to the service, linking users with a network of

associated peer support groups, offering stroke survivors volunteering opportunities, further

supporting their recovery, spreading awareness about stroke, stroke prevention and time

critical intervention in case of stroke and promoting innovation offering users access to

online information and online support services.

Contract duration: 1 year from 1st April 2022 (with optional 1-year extension)

Value of proposed Contract - £266,332 for 2 years (plus annual NHSE/I national inflationary

uplift). This financial envelope is based upon 2021/22 budget envelope and takes no

account of additional or reduced budget envelopes for the proposed period, for example

inflation, efficiency savings, wage awards or other national mandated requirements. Additional information: The Contracting Authority is awarding the contract set out in this notice for 1+1 years as per the call for competition Prior Information Notice 2022/S 000-002194 published on the 25th January 2022, where no legitimate expressions of interest were received. Therefore, the Contracting Authority relies on Regulation 32 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 to direct award this contract.

Regulation 32 sets out;

'In the specific cases and circumstances laid down in this regulation, contracting authorities may award public contracts by a negotiated procedure without prior publication.

The negotiated procedure without prior publication may be used for public works contracts, public supply contracts and public service contracts in any of the following cases:-

(a) where no tenders, no suitable tenders, no requests to participate or no suitable requests to participate have been submitted in response to an open procedure or a restricted procedure, provided that the initial conditions of the contract are not substantially altered and that a report is sent to the Commission where it so requests.'