Community Mental Health Framework Supporting Services

Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire CCG (BNSSG CCG) has extended a number of current Community Mental Health Supporting Services contracts by one year to 31st March 2023, in order to align the services to the emerging BNSSG Community Mental Health Programme (CMHP) and avoid gaps in services prior to the new locality based community mental health offer being fully established.

All the relevant Providers are providing a service of acceptable quality that meets the needs and expectation of the CCG and patients. The CCG has no concerns regarding the proposed providers' ability to deliver the service through to 31st March 2023. As a result of all of the material factors noted above, the negotiated procedure without prior publication is justified under regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) 'competition is absent for technical reasons'.

The value of this notice, which is split across the above 21 separate contracts, is £5,888,843 for the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023.

Additional information: The services to which this aggregated Notice applies to are: 1.Bristol Hearing Voices Group 2.Bristol Mind (Mindline) 3.Bristol Tranquiliser Project 4.Missing Link (Women's Crisis House) 5.St Mungos (Men's Crisis House) 6.St Mungos (Sanctuary) 7.St Mungos (Assertive Contact and Engagement Service) 8.Windmill Hill City Farm 9.CASS 10.Second Step (North Somerset Wellbeing Service) 11.Second Step (Community Rehabilitation Service) 12.Richmond Fellowship (Employment Service) 13.Bluebell 14.Mothers for Mothers 15.Rockabye 16.North Somerset Homestart 17.Cruse 18.Greenhouse 19.The Harbour 20.Womankind 21.Independent Mental Health Network

During the 2019/20 contracting year a comprehensive review of all mental health contracts commissioned by BNSSG's predecessor CCGs took place examining the services delivered, activity, outcomes and equity across BNSSG. Alongside the review, the Community Mental Health Framework was published nationally. This document set out the ambition for a wholescale transformation at a community level (excluding crisis and inpatients) of mental health services, including a significant enhancement to lower level mental health support which could be led by, or in conjunction with, the Voluntary Sector rather than delivered solely by an NHS Trust.

In April 2020 BNSSG CCG therefore decided to extend the existing contracts whilst a local model for the CMHP was developed. An initial BNSSG model and timeframe for implementation is now in development, however, a further extension to contracts is required in order to avoid gaps in service during implementation and allow for further opportunities to be explored to develop integrated commissioning solutions.

If the CCG had not awarded contract extensions it would significantly increase health inequalities, leaving gaps within the pathway, without a clear alterative in place. Without a clear direction of travel, services may lose staff at a time when people with mental health problems are at their most vulnerable due to COVID-19. Ending of contracts would not support the system's strategic direction and would not support people with mental health needs, who are particularly disadvantaged during the Covid-19 pandemic. There has also been significant public and patient involvement in the consultation for the CMHP - over 40 events took place over a 3 month period. During, 2021-2022, a process took place to further review all the contracts alongside our six maturing Integrated Care Partnerships in BNSSG. As a result of this review, it was agreed contracts would be extended for a further year to support the development of our local community mental health framework models.

The services are healthcare services falling within Schedule 3 to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 ("the Regulations") which are not subject to the full regime of the Regulations, but are instead governed by the "Light Touch Regime" contained within Chapter 3, Section 7 of the Regulations (Regulations 74 to 77).