Mental Health Pathfinder Alliance - Tier 2 Services

Descriptions

This notice is to inform the market of the intention to directly award a 2 year contract with potential extension option of up to one further year (2+1) to the nine listed providers, for the provision of a Pathfinder Tier 2 Mental Health Service for NHS West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group ('the CCG') from 1st April 2022. The intention is to directly award these contracts to the listed providers as the current providers of the service. The CCG is nationally mandated to develop tier 2 mental health services to the model of the Long Term Plan and the current providers have the local knowledge, experience and relationships already in place to support this model as an established alliance. In order to maintain the value of the current alliance, which is critical for the delivery of services and has been established since 2016, a direct award is being sought to ensure continuity of provision and the ability of the CCG to quickly respond to the time limited requirements of the Long Term Plan alongside PCNs. These voluntary sector services provide tier 2 mental health support in the community across West Sussex, including employment support, individual and group interventions and telephone support. This proposal to directly award the contract is made in the context of identified patient need and pressures on the local mental health system, and as such supporting the requirement to align to the outcomes of the Long Term Plan. This alignment to the Long Term Plan (LTP) will enable delivery of targets outlined and associated expectations to invest in community services, and to reduce the number of people requiring emergency or urgent care due to effective supportive alternatives in the community. Given the known benefits that the model has already evidenced, and will continue to bring to the community mental health system during a time of increased demand due to the COVID 19 pandemic, NHS West Sussex CCG has endorsed the decision to directly award a 2 year contract (with 1 year extension option) to the listed providers. Please note: NHS England and Improvement have announced that the Sussex Health and Care Partnership, made up of all health and care organisations across East Sussex, West Sussex, and Brighton and Hove, has successfully met the criteria to become an Integrated Care System (ICS). An ICS is a way of working across health and care organisations that allows them to work closer together, to take collective responsibility of the health and wellbeing of populations across large areas. It is not anticipated that the statutory responsibility or accountability of the individual health and care organisations working as an ICS will be affected, save for the expectation that CCG organisations will be abolished and functions transferred to the ICS. As a result of these intended healthcare reforms, the Contracting Authority(s) currently NHS East Sussex CCG/NHS West Sussex CCG/NHS Brighton and Hove CCG, may change during the life of the contract.