Provision of Mental Health Blocked Beds at Eden Mansions Care Home

CPV: Health services

Procedure method

Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition

Legal basis

CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)

Procurement category

Services

Notice status

Awarded without competition

Procurement threshold

Unspecified in notice

Regulatory regime

Standard

Commercial structure

Stand-alone contract (no framework)

Competition type

Direct award (no call for competition)

GPA / WTO covered

Unspecified in notice

Recurring procurement

Unspecified in notice

First published

11 Jul 2023, 11:36 BST

Last source update

11 Jul 2023, 11:36 BST

Authority reference

1401 / C2130

FTS notice number

2023/S 000-019746

Classification (CPV)

Health services

Delivery area

North West (UKD62)

Official registry OCID

ocds-h6vhtk-03e08c Find a Tender

Why no open competition

Extreme urgency brought about by events unforeseeable for the contracting authority/entity and in accordance with the strict conditions stated in the directive

Published justification

The reason for the blocked booked mental health beds arose due to unprecedented demand in mental health referrals and psychiatric hospital admissions during 2021. There have also been significant pressures on care provision over the past 24 months as a direct result of the Covid- 19 pandemic. As a result, we have had significant issues in sourcing care for older people with advanced dementia and challenging behaviour.

Alongside this, the acuity of mental ill health has risen very significantly with a rise in Mental Health Act assessments locally and nationally. There are bed shortages and on a daily basis people in the community, general hospitals A+E departments and wards, police stations and care homes, have been assessed as needing to be admitted, under the Mental Health Act, to a psychiatric ward but there are no beds available here.

In addition to this we have high numbers of people that are unable to be discharged, and as a result have been on psychiatric wards for much longer than usual, with delays over 60 days being regularly noted in acute care meetings and the 'MADE' meetings.

'Multi Agency Discharge Events' were introduced under the NHS England framework to improve patient flow, look at blockages and how these can be reduced and challenge, improve and simplify discharge processes.

We have been working with all our care homes (those with suitable registration) to try and arrange EMI nursing beds, but the demand has outstripped the supply. Furthermore, placements often breakdown when people living with dementias mental health deteriorates. The blocked booked beds are preventing admissions by providing suitable urgent short-term provision in the care home market which we are currently unable to achieve. Many of the admissions to psychiatric wards could then potentially be diverted to less restrictive alternatives.

The blocked booked beds are monitored via the fortnightly contract meetings. Service users are discussed to ensure bed flow and demonstrate value for money. Utilisation of these beds has remained high throughout the previous 12 months and as services of this nature remain in high demand but short supply, there is confidence that these beds will continue to receive a high volume of use over the next 12 months.

• Barker Care Limited (also known as Cedar Care Homes)Awarded supplierGB-COH: 01385930 Eden Mansions, Station Road, Styal, Wilmslow, North West, SK9 4HD

No document links were published on the notice.