Provision of Employment Advisers in NHS Talking Therapies Service for North West London

NHS NW London ICB is seeking a supplier for the provision of Employment Advisers in NHS Talking Therapies Service for North West London.

NHS Talking Therapies (previously Improving Access to Psychological Therapies - IAPT) is a national programme that aims to relieve distress and transform lives by offering NICE-approved interventions and treatment choice to people with depression and anxiety disorders and by improving the collection, recording and measurement of patients' health outcomes.

The overarching aims of the service are to: • Support people with common mental health needs who are in work but struggling or facing difficulties in the workplace, off work sick or looking for work. • Work with people using an assets based approach and with trauma informed practice. • Bring together employment advice and support within NHS Talking Therapies provision. • Enable therapists and Employment Advisers to work collaboratively to deliver a personalised, trauma-informed and person-centred service to clients based on their individual needs. • Engage with service users to establish their employment goals, make better decisions about their working lives and communicate better with their colleagues and managers at work. • Target service user groups who are at higher risk of poor health and wellbeing and socio-economic disadvantage. • Equity of provision to service users across the protected characteristics and reduce health inequalities.

This procurement process is subject to the so-called light touch regime as set out in regulations 74-76 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 ("PCR") as the procurement concerns health services which are social and other specific services according to the PCR.

The Authority is utilising the open procedure under the PCR for this competitive procurement process, but the Authority is only bound by those parts of the PCR that apply to the procurements of social and other specific services.

The contract is due to commence on 18th September 2023 and the initial term ends on 31st March 2025 (maximum value of £4,148,289).

The Authority reserves the right to extend the contract for up to eighteen (18) months, beyond the initial expiry on 31st March 2025.

The total maximum value, including all extensions is £8,036,772.