NW2023-13 NHS Talking Therapies (formerly known as IAPT)

NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB seek expressions of interest from a single provider or lead provider model with sub-contracted organisation(s).

The service shall provide community orientated, evidence-based psychological therapies to people in Norfolk and Waveney from the age of 16 years and over with 'common' mental health problems, such as low mood and anxiety-based needs.

This model should be aligned to the NHS Talking Therapies Manual (2023) and support the Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health ambitions.

The service shall be flexible and responsive to the population needs and operate a biopsychosocial model of care; taking an individual's needs into consideration to plan holistic and integrated interventions to improve and population wellbeing, relevant to the stage of life of the service user.

This shall include an approach to support and intervention based on individual need and with fluidity over the course of individuals contact with the NHS Talking Therapies service - providing a service that can adapt and move people through appropriate types of support in the service as needs indicate.

The service will work closely with local communities, providers, and the Integrated Care System (ICS) to ensure this is implemented effectively and the service will ensure people receive warm handovers to other services which can support their mental health and the wider determinants of mental health.

Further to this, the service will: proactively engage with population groups and communities where there are recognised risks, low rates of engagement and/or health inequalities; employ practices which actively include those who are seldom heard in NHS Talking Therapies services; embed coproduction and service user involvement within service improvement projects; take a proactive and strategic approach to system connection and planning for current and forecast population needs; innovate to meet the needs of the population, communities and individuals in an effective and efficient way.

The contract value and associated access numbers are provided for 2023/24 only as there is currently no national NHS England guidance / policy regards ongoing expansion of the NHS Talking Therapies service.

The Standard NHS Long form contract will be utilised in this contract, which will include information on annual inflationary uplift appropriate to the provider.

All aspects of the service as outlined in the specification and associated with delivery of the service are required to be delivered by the provider.

The contract period will be for an initial period of 5 years with the option to extend for up to a further 2 years, commencing 1st September 2024.

The annual Contract value is circa £21m per annum plus potential but not guaranteed DWP funding which for 23/24 was £682k.

To express interest and participate in the tender, please register and apply via Atamis e-sourcing portal https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome.

Project C215674.