Community Wellbeing Service to Somerset Integrated Care Board

Description

NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board ("ICB") are considering its commissioning options for the delivery of a Community Wellbeing Programme Service. Providers who are interested in delivering these services are invited to express interest by completing a questionnaire. The information you provide will be used to inform the next steps of the commissioning process. Commissioners are looking to establish what interest there might be in providing such a service from suitably qualified, capable and competent organisations and/or partnerships and any barriers that may exist in providing these services. In Somerset, our vision is for children and young people's mental health and emotional wellbeing to flourish and for each young person to be happy, connected and prepared for adulthood. Every young person who needs help in relation to their mental health will know how to access that help and will be able to do so easily and swiftly with mental health services being responsive, person-centred and of the highest quality possible. Across Somerset, there is a higher than average prevalence of children and young people (CYP) who are presenting with mental health and emotional wellbeing difficulties. Through talking to CYP themselves, partners across education, health and care and parents, we know that one of the key root causes of these mental health presentations is the lack of consistent wellbeing support and early interventions for our young people. Therefore, CYP mental health and emotional wellbeing is one of our main system priorities, strengthening health promotion, prevention and early intervention through to effective targeted support. We know there has been a concerning rise in rates of mental illness and distress amongst CYP, notably the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which caused interruptions to education and home life. This has been reflected nationally: • In 2022, 18% of children aged 7 to 16 years and 22% of young people aged 17 to 24 years had a probable mental disorder • In children aged 7 to 16 years, rates rose from 1 in 9 in 2017 to 1 in 6 in 2020 • In young people aged 17 to 19 years, rates of a probable mental disorder rose from 1 in 10 in 2017 to 1 in 6 in 2020 The NHS Ten Year, Long Term Plan (2019) also makes specific reference and commitment to improving the access, quality and delivery of mental health services, with a focus on improving outcomes for CYP and their families. There are key focus points including prevention, early intervention and working with the community through a personalised service, which further aligns with the Somerset's Integrated Health and Care Strategy and associated Joint Forward Plan. Somerset recognises the pivotal roles that universal, community and specialist services play in raising awareness of mental health and emotional wellbeing, identifying problems, supporting and providing interventions to support CYP. The Community Wellbeing Service is a key offer for our CYP in Somerset, ensuring that CYP and their families can access early support at the right time and in the right place. Somerset ICB has a current contract in place that is due to expire 31st March 2024. As part of its overall strategic approach to formally competitively re-commission this service, Somerset ICB intends to extend the current provision with Young Somerset for a period of 6 months to allow sufficient time to consider and act upon its commissioning options. The contract value is circa £750,000 per annum. It is anticipated that the contract duration will be for an initial period of 5 years with an option to extend for a further 2 years. Any values and timescales stated within this PIN notice are for guideline purposes only and should not be taken as a guarantee. Expressions of interest and completed questionnaires must be submitted by 12 noon, 27th November. This process is being managed by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioner(s). Lot 1: NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board ("ICB") is considering going out to formal procurement for the delivery of a Community Wellbeing Service. Providers who are interested in delivering these services are invited to express interest by completing a questionnaire. The information you provide will be used to inform the next steps of the commissioning process. Commissioners are looking to establish what interest there might be in providing such a service from suitably qualified, capable and competent organisations and/or partnerships and any barriers that may exist in providing these services. The Community Wellbeing Service is a key offer for our children and young people (CYP) in Somerset, ensuring that CYP and their families can access early support at the right time and in the right place. The service is designed to enhance the mental, emotional and overall wellbeing of individuals. It provides early intervention and aims to foster positive family dynamics. By collaborating with various stakeholders and advocating for the rights of young individuals, this service strives to create a nurturing and inclusive environment, ultimately contributing to the overall thriving of the community. The Community Wellbeing Service aims to promote the overall mental and emotional health of children and young people within a community, with other aims including: • Early intervention and prevention - identifying and addressing issues early to prevent them from escalating to more serious problems • Promoting mental health - providing resources and support to enhance emotional wellbeing • Supporting families - offering and guidance to families to support their children and young people • Social inclusion - encouraging participation in community activities, promoting a sense of belonging and reducing isolation • Safety and protection - safeguarding children from harm • Advocacy and empowerment - empowering children and young people to voice their needs and concerns • Collaboration and networking - building partnerships with other VCSE services, healthcare providers and education settings to create a holistic support network • Health inequalities - recognising and respecting the diverse backgrounds and cultures of the CYP and families they support • Outcome measurement and evaluation - monitoring the assessing the impact of their services to ensure they are meeting the needs of children, young people and families The desired and expected outcomes include: • Improved mental health and wellbeing - a reduction on symptoms of anxiety, depression and other mental health challenges leading to improved quality of life for them and their families and carers • Enhanced emotional regulation - CYP may develop better coping skills and emotional resilience and CYP feel better equipped and supported to look after their own mental health • A more positive experience for CYP and parents and carers with improved knowledge and confidence in dealing with mental health issues • Increased / improved school attendance, engagement and performance due to the support provided • Strengthened family relationships - better communication understanding and support within families, leading to a more stable home environment • Improved social skills and relationships - better peer relationships, increased social confidence and a sense of belonging within the community • Enhanced coping mechanisms - leading to a reduction in mental health problems extending into adulthood, thus a reduction in the associated financial costs of mental health and social care across the lifespan • Reduction in inappropriate referrals to specialist Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) • Delivery of a less stigmatised alternative to clinically orientated mental health support services • Increased access - CYP being seen at the right time, with the right support by the right person • Increased confidence and satisfaction rates for primary care, education settings and families The Community Wellbeing Service will provide Children and Young People's Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (CYP-IAPT) interventions to those aged 5-18 in Somerset via CYP-IAPT trained Children's Community Wellbeing Practitioners. The Service will provide early intervention support for young people experiencing low-level mental health issues, including but not limited to: anger difficulties, anxiety, depression, self-injury, stress, simple phobias (but not related to blood, needle, vomit), mild social anxiety, sleep problems and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The service will never turn away any young person who is asking for help and will engage them with the service or assist them to get the help they need elsewhere. The provider is also expected to offer self-referral for children and young people. The five CYP-IAPT principles include: • Participation - This not only includes CYP, parents and carers having active participation in personal care, but at all levels of service provision, including service development, recruitment and service review. • Accessibility - actively improving the awareness of CYPs emotional wellbeing, reducing stigma and improving access to services for support in a number of ways including: o More community support o Raising awareness through wider communication strategies o Integrating Requests for support made through self-referral routes parent / carer or professional where possible o Making services more efficient to avoid long waiting lists o Actively participating with young people to improve the locations and access where people are seen for support • Awareness - increasing public understanding of the importance of emotional wellbeing and decreasing stigma and discrimination • Accountability - ensuring services are accessing young people's views on the support they are receiving • Evidence-based interventions - the use of interventions that have been demonstrated to have clinical effectiveness in reducing symptoms, including interventions recommended by NICE. The service will offer face to face, virtual and group interventions for children, young people, their parents and carers. The provider will be expected to work in partnership with the following interdependencies: • Mental Health Support Teams in Schools (MHSTs) - for those schools that do not have access to a MHST, the Community Wellbeing Service will be expected to offer support • Somerset NHS Foundation Trust: o NHS CAMHS Early Intervention Services, specialist CAMHS, Community Eating Disorder Service, Enhanced Outreach and Psychiatric Liaison o Emergency Departments o Paediatrics • Primary Care • Education Settings • Children's Social Care • Youth Work Services • VCSE organisations / sector • Somerset Parent Carer Forum • Children and Young People's Neurodevelopmental Pathway • CYP Engagement Services • Local Authority • Public Health • Educational Psychology Services The provider will be expected to promote their service within the referral portal that is currently in development with CAMHS and Young Somerset. The aims of the portal are to streamline referrals into mental health services, reduce waiting times and ensuring children, young people and their families receive appropriate support in a timely manner. The Provider will offer different and innovative ways to engage with young people. This will include early intervention support group work and workshops, 1-2-1's, drop-ins, and virtual settings. CYP will need to have access to an appropriate, safe and calm environment; this should be a neutral room with no stigma attached. The Provider will assess needs, deliver support and / or may refer on those young people whose needs would be better served by another local agency. This may include a step down to school-based pastoral support or an escalation to a specialist service e.g., social care or specialist CAMHS. Somerset ICB has a current contract in place that is due to expire 31st March 2024. As part of its overall strategic approach to formally competitively re-commission this service, Somerset ICB intends to extend the current provision with Young Somerset for a period of 6 months to allow sufficient time to consider and act upon its commissioning options. The contract value is circa £750,000 per annum. It is anticipated that the contract duration will be for an initial period of 5 years with an option to extend for a further 2 years. Maximum contract duration 7 years. Any values and timescales stated within this PIN notice are for guideline purposes only and should not be taken as a guarantee. Expressions of interest and completed questionnaires must be submitted by 12 noon, 27th November. Interested providers will be able to view this opportunity via the live opportunities list on the 'Health Family' e-procurement system, Atamis, and once registered will be able to view the full scope of the service in a draft service specification. Click on 'View our Live Opportunities' from the home page, available on the following link: https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome. This process is being managed by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioner(s). Additional information: 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).