Community Mental Health Framework Supporting Services

Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (BNSSG ICB) will be extending a number of current Community Mental Health Supporting Services contracts, in order to align the services to the emerging BNSSG Community Mental Health Programme (CMHP) and avoid gaps in services prior to the new locality based community mental health offer being fully established.

The services to which this aggregated Notice applies to are:

1. Bristol Hearing Voices Group
2. Bristol Mind (Mindline)
3. Bristol Tranquiliser Project
4. Missing Link (Women's Crisis House)
5. St Mungos (Men's Crisis House)
6. St Mungos (Sanctuary)
7. St Mungos (Assertive Contact and Engagement Service)
8. Windmill Hill City Farm
9. Second Step (North Somerset Wellbeing Service)
10. Second Step (Community Rehabilitation Service)
11. Second Step (Safe Haven)
12. Bluebell
13. Mothers for Mothers
14. Rockabye
15. North Somerset Homestart
16. Cruse
17. The Harbour
18. Womankind
19. Independent Mental Health Network
20. Second Step (HOPE)
21. Self Injury Support Service (SiS)
22. Bristol Dementia Service (DPT)
23. Nilaari
24. Bristol Changes

In 2019 a thorough review of all Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Mental health contracts held by the CCG was undertaken and was considered through CCG Governance Processes. The CCG Governing Body recommended that the future of the contracts was considered through the Community Mental Health Programme as services will need to align to future Locality Partnership (LP) models of care. Currently this reflects over 24 contracts (listed below) which are due to end on the 31 March 2023.

In April 2020 BNSSG CCG therefore decided to extend the existing contracts whilst a local model for the CMHP was developed. An initial BNSSG model and timeframe for implementation is now in development, however, a further extension to contracts is required in order to avoid gaps in service during implementation and allow for further opportunities to be explored to develop integrated commissioning solutions.

In April 2021 Governing Body asked that the six Locality Partnerships, in collaboration with the CCG, to make recommendations on the future of these contracts. The majority of recommendations were to extend for one year. As a result, a further process to review contracts with Locality Partnerships has been completed during summer 2022 which has resulted in all contracts being extended.

The recommendations to extend each contract were taken to, and approved by the Locality Delivery Partnership Board (LDPB) and the ICB Finance, Estates and Digital board.

If the ICB had not awarded contract extensions it would significantly increase health inequalities, leaving gaps within the pathway, without a clear alterative in place. Without a clear direction of travel, services may lose staff at a time when people with mental health problems are at their most vulnerable due to COVID-19. Ending of contracts would not support the system's strategic direction and would not support people with mental health needs, who are particularly disadvantaged during the Covid-19 pandemic. There has also been significant public and patient involvement in the consultation for the CMHP - over 40 events took place over a 3 month period. During, 2021-2022, a process took place to further review all the contracts alongside our six maturing Integrated Care Partnerships in BNSSG. As a result of this review, it was agreed contracts would be extended for a further year to support the development of our local community mental health framework models.

All the relevant Providers are providing a service of acceptable quality that meets the needs and expectation of the ICB and patients. The ICB has no concerns regarding the proposed providers' ability to deliver the service through to the end of their agreed contracted period. . As a result of all of the material factors noted above, the negotiated procedure without prior publication is justified under regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) 'competition is absent for technical reasons'.

The value of this notice, which is split across the above 24 separate contracts, is

£11,871,313.00

for the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.

The value of this notice, which is split across the above 7 separate contracts, is

£3,891,194.00

for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.

The value of this notice, which is split across the above 1 separate contracts, is

£46,713.00

for the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 Additional information: The services are healthcare services falling within Schedule 3 to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 ("the Regulations") which are not subject to the full regime of the Regulations, but are instead governed by the "Light Touch Regime" contained within Chapter 3, Section 7 of the Regulations (Regulations 74 to 77).