Tees Valley Adults Respite/ Short Breaks Service for people with a Learning Disability and Complex Health Needs.

NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (the Relevant Authority) intends to follow the Most Suitable Provider (MSP) process to award a contract for the provision of a Tees Valley Adults Respite/ Short Breaks Service for people with a Learning Disability and Complex Health Needs.

The Service aims to provide a holistic approach designed to meet the social and health care needs of service users over 18 years with a severe or profound learning disability and / or a severe physical disability.

This respite/short breaks service is designed to support individuals with a learning disability, profound or severe learning disabilities who also have complex health or care needs. While some individuals may present with mild to moderate behaviours that challenge, the service is not intended for those whose behaviours require intensive behavioural support or specialist intervention for high-risk challenging behaviour. The service is equipped to manage needs related to physical health, sensory impairments, communication difficulties, and personal care.

The service will work in partnership with a nursing provider who will provide nursing support in the service for those people with complex health needs where they require additional nursing care which can't be met by the provider.

The service will provide planned and emergency short breaks for adults with a severe learning disability and associated profound physical and complex care needs offering high-quality, safe, and person-centred care.

The service will support families and carers by offering a break from caregiving responsibilities while ensuring continuity of care and wellbeing for the individual. Whilst offering the person receiving the service a break with meaningful social activities.

The Service will ensure the needs of the people using the service are cared for and their physical and emotional safety is ensured whilst introducing a stimulating and varied range of activities to service users.  Such work largely involves skill in developing long-term relationships with service users with very limited conventional communication repertoire and being sensitive to and interpreting their presentation and symptoms which may be shadowed by the complexity of their condition.

The service will provide the following:

Safe, nurturing and stimulating environment.

Work in partnership with a nursing care provider to meet the complex health needs of the people using the service which can't be met via social care.

Continuity of care through personalised support plans.

Enable carers to rest and recharge, reducing risk of breakdown.

Support emergency placements during crises or transitions.

Promote social inclusion and meaningful activity during stays.

Personal care where necessary

Support staff are trained to manage conditions such as epilepsy, respiratory care, and other medical complexities, appropriate to what their role requires them to deliver.

Staff who are well trained, with the skills, competencies and flexibilities to deliver the service.

Appropriate care plans and risk assessments for people using the service.

An environment able to be both appropriate and flexible to meet the needs of the service users and reflective of the needs of the community.

Innovation with the use of technology to support service users safely.

The ICB requires the respite service to be a bed-based service in a central location within the Teesside area, with easy access from Stockton, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Hartlepool.

The bed-based service has been designed in conjunction with those families and people who will be using the service and people with lived experience it requires a building which is purpose built to meet the needs of the people who will access it.

The contract will be for a period of 5 years with the option to extend for a further 5 years at the discretion of the Relevant Authority and subject to satisfactory financial and contractual performance commencing on 01 February 2026. Additional information: This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intended approach notice. The awarding of

this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime)

Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts

Regulations 2015 do not apply to this award.

The intention is to award a contract using the Most Suitable Provider process.

The award decision will be made by the NHS North East & North Cumbria Integrated Care

Board Executive Committee.

Conflicts of Interest have been managed and will be managed through this intended MSP

Process.

The deadline to express an interest to be considered the Most Suitable Provider is 12:00 noon on 3rd October 2025.

Further details can be found on the Atamis portal at: healthfamily.force.com/s/Welcome ↗ contract reference: C388771

All providers must register on the Central Digital Platform to complete the PSQ Requirement Envelope of the NENC032 Tees Valley Adults Respite/ Short Breaks Service for people with a Learning Disability and Complex Health Needs.

The template as designed will require you to reply YES to the first question of the requirement envelope where it asks if you are registered on the Central Digital Platform (CDP) - answering YES to this will:

A. Populate some of the responses for you and

B. Open up the remaining dependent questions for you to complete on the e-tendering system

Registering on the CDP is free and detailed instructions are available here: www.gov.uk/government/publicati… ↗

NENC ICB is utilising the Procurement Act 2023 Central Digital Platform to meet the Regulation 20 requirements of PSR 2023. All providers who wish to submit a response MUST create an account on the Central Digital Platform as part of their PSQ questionnaire.