NHS Arden & Greater East Midlands Commissioning Support Unit (AGCSU) on behalf of NHS England Midlands & East (East) is carrying out a market engagement exercise for the provision of the Special Allocation Scheme (SAS) Service (also known as the Violent Patient Scheme (VPS)) Services in Essex.

The Service 1) provides primary medical services to patients who have been removed from general practice due to exhibiting violent or aggressive behaviour (as per the national criteria); 2) is to be delivered in a safe and secure way that meets the needs of and protects the patient, staff and others within the premises; 3) incorporates an element of rehabilitation to address the underlying causes of the patient's behaviour and support them to return to general practice; and 4) is being commissioned as five separate contracts in the following geographical areas of Lot 1 - Mid Essex; Lot2 - North East Essex; Lot3 - West Essex; Lot4 - Southend and Castle Point and Rochford and Lot5 - Thurrock and Basildon and Brentwood.

The Commissioner would like to hear from any potential provider who would be willing to complete a questionnaire to provide feedback on the draft Service Specification and who would like to request a place at the Market engagement event.

The Market Engagement event will cover the following: i) an overview of the services to be provided; ii) details of the contract type, length and particular conditions; iii) feedback on the Market Engagement questionnaire; and iv) an outline of the procurement process and the anticipated timeline.