Sefton Integrated Wellness Service “Living Well Sefton – Community”

Sefton Public Health aims to protect and improve the health of Sefton’s residents, reducing preventable diseases and the differences in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy between communities. The programme aims to tackle inequality by harnessing targeting support and interventions for our most disadvantaged communities and vulnerable groups and includes those with mental health problems, heart disease, lung cancer, liver disease and other cancers which are the main causes of deaths in the most deprived communities in Sefton.

To address the health needs and health inequalities within the borough the ‘Living Well Sefton – Community’ (LWS) commission will need to be continually responsive to the day-to-day challenges that people face and which are often a barrier to them achieving positive behaviour change. It is intended that the LWS – Community will support people to maximise health opportunities by addressing the wider social determinants of health and multiple lifestyle behaviours. The aim is to reduce the levels of preventable disease and future reliance on health and social care and for the people of Sefton to have a good quality of life for as long as possible.

The first phase of the LWS Community was commissioned in July 2016 as Sefton Council looked to contract with a provider/s to develop and operate a flexible, innovative, and integrated health improvement service that focused on prevention and early intervention. The service is now in its seventh year of operation and is comprised of three elements. This LWS - Community element is a key part of the wider LWS service, which also includes two additional specialist areas: Smoke free Sefton and Active Sefton . These are commissioned separately .

This procurement is intended to build on the successes of the existing LWS – Community offer, harnessing excellent practice and prioritising activity aligned to early intervention and prevention in communities and responding to local need. This will be done by commissioning a lead provider who will develop, implement, and manage an agreed delivery model through a series of subcontract arrangements with but not limited to VCF community providers.

Living Well Sefton combines social, community and clinical health improvement services which are delivered in the heart of the community, so they are easy to navigate and are available in the heart of the community and close to home.

The LWS will continue to provide a range of free, person-centred interventions; using evidenced based behaviour change techniques and motivational interviewing to tailor wellbeing and lifestyle support to individuals and communities. The aim is to enhance and protect the health and wellbeing of the whole population but with targeted effort placed in the areas of highest socio-economic deprivation. Innovative approaches to outreach will be essential to delivery as an important focus will be to connect with people who do not usually engage with services and live in our most disadvantaged communities.

The LWS Community offer will support people to live well by addressing the factors that influence their health, enabling them to be independent, connected, and able to support other people around them. The service will utilise the assets that exist within communities, building on the strengths, knowledge, local community cohesion and resources that are already strong in our communities. The focus will be as an enabler , supporting people to lead their own change by offering ease of access and support to increase better health and wellbeing.

The LWS is committed to enhancing and protecting the health and wellbeing of the population of Sefton and improving the health of the poorest fastest. The service will focus specifically on tackling health inequalities , ensuring equitable access, excellent experience, and optimal health and wellbeing outcomes for residents of the borough.

The Council’s maximum budget for this contract is £1,000,000 per annum.

The price agreed for the contract is subject to the ongoing availability of sufficient funding. In the event that during the contract period the Local Authority does not have sufficient funds to cover the price of the contract the Contractor will develop and agree a contract variation with the Commissioner such that the contract price remains within the funding available. In the event that agreement cannot be reached the dispute resolution procedure set out within the contract will be followed.