Suffolk Neurodevelopmental Children and Young People's Assessment

NSFT has been commissioned to provide a CYP assessment, diagnostic and treatment service for ADHD and assessment and diagnostic for Autism. SNEE ICB has tasked NSFT with addressing the longest waits for assessment for both ADHD and Autism. The longest waits are between 3-4 years with the average over 2 years. This procurement aims by working with an external contractor to complete assessments, to reduce the wait for both ADHD and Autism assessment to under 2 years.

The aims and objectives of the service are to provide:

• A comprehensive and seamless needs-led assessment and diagnostic service that meets the needs of children and young people who may be neurodivergent and live with ADHD and/or Autism.
• A multidisciplinary needs-led model of assessment, which utilises a range of assessment methods and is adapted to the social, communication, intellectual needs of the children and young people being assessed
• A partnership approach to the assessment and treatment of ADHD and dual diagnosis with Autism:

o NSFT supporting confirmation of diagnosis of ADHD through a shared MDT

o With a smooth handover from contractor to NSFT services for treatment of ADHD, where clinically indicated, following a positive confirmation of diagnosis.

• A joint assessment and joint diagnosis route, where clinically indicated, for CYP who have waited the longest.
• Pre-assessment information and support to manage realistic expectations for CYP and families of the service offer
• Children, Young People and Families and referrer and/or GP post assessment feedback and report which:

o Provides an evidence-based diagnostic outcome

o Identifies differential (for those not meeting full diagnostic criteria) and ongoing needs for the child or young person

o Offers guidance and recommendations for how any needs can be met and appropriate signposting and warm handover to support services

• A service aligned to NICE, NHS England and Department of Health and Social Care guidance and
• A CQC registered and complaint service
• A diagnostic conversion rate aligned to the national average
• Excellent and responsive compassionate customer care and support to children, young people and their families, sending appropriate information and offering timely responses to queries they may have.
• Timely, accessible and inclusive assessment with additional adaptations for children, young people and families from diverse communities, including those with/from:

o Learning disabilities

o Physical disability

o Hidden physical or neurological health conditions

o Lived experience of mental health difficulties and illness

o LGBTQIA+ community

o BAME communities

• For face-to-face assessments, in a setting that is within 60 minutes of the children or young person's place of residence, and which considers and appropriately meets their accessibility needs

The service will adopt a biopsychosocial model to assess ADHD and/or Autism through a holistic needs-led approach.

NSFT defined outcomes

• Reduced waiting times (under 2 years) for ADHD and Autism in Suffolk part of SNEE
• Improved psychological and emotional and wellbeing and health of children, young people and families accessing the service
• Reduced need for, and use of mental health services through:

o Timely assessment and diagnosis of ADHD and/or Autism

o identification of differential needs and referral

o Warm handover and signposting to appropriate sources of support.

• Reduced health inequalities for children and young people waiting for ADHD and/or Autism assessment through:

o Reducing waiting times

o Providing joint ADHD and Autism assessment

• Children, young people and families feel empowered and equipped with the tools to live well with neurodivergence and other needs following a needs-led assessment and diagnostic outcome
• High quality accessible and inclusive NICE-compliant evidence-based assessments delivered, which provide confidence to children, young people and families and health and social care professionals, in diagnostic outcomes and identification of differential needs.
• High quality service delivery as evidenced by both quantitative and qualitative feedback from children, young people and their families through multiple feedback mechanisms e.g., Friends and Family Test.

Contractors handling NHS data are expected to:

• Be registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO)
• Have achieved a minimum of "Standards Met" level of compliance on the Data Security and Protection Toolkit - www.dsptoolkit.nhs.uk ↗
• Give assurance that they are complying with data protection legislation i.e. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Data Protection Act 2018
• Must complete the Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC) form and meet the criteria to ensure clinical safety, data protection, technical security, interoperability and usability and accessibility standards are met
• Have a secure means of storing and transferring information
• Have clear IG policies and processes covering Information Security, Incident Reporting, Privacy Notices etc
• Keep and retain records for CYP in line with the NHS Code of Practice for records management
• Give assurance that all staff have received IG training in the last year
• Be able to provide details on any partners/subcontractors/3rd Parties be processing or storing Personal Confidential Data (PCD) in relation to this contract including the location of such data
• Keep all Personal Confidential Data (PCD) encrypted at rest and in transit
• Have a Business Continuity Plan that includes cyber security incident response
• Support with the completion of a Data Protection Impact Assessment
• The Contractor will ensure it meets the Accessible Information Standard which is a standard expected from NHS services. Accessible Information - NHS Standards Directory.
• Be registered with the CQC
• Have an indemnity scheme
• Ensure that all professionals are educated, trained and have assessed capability to conduct ADHD and / o…