Working Well Expansion – Talking Therapies Service

Tender description

1. Nature of the Specification & Context 1.1. Trafford Borough Council, on behalf of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), is seeking proposals from providers to deliver a range of IAPT compliant Talking Therapies to be delivered in parallel with the expansion of the Personalised Support element of the existing Working Well Pilot Programme. The maximum value of this contract is £1,500,000 and the contract duration will be 25 months from 1st March 2016. 1.2. The following narrative on the expansion of the Working Well programme and its delivery elements are provided to prospective providers of the Talking Therapies Service so that they fully understand the contextual landscape of which they will operate as part of a Working Well eco-system designed to achieve job outcomes for clients with multiple barriers and need. 1.3. The purpose of the Talking Therapies Service is to establish if, providing an integrated holistic offer of Personalised Support combined with expedient access to IAPT provision, will improve employment outcomes for clients accessing the Working Well expansion. 2. Talking Therapies Context 2.1. This tender invitation is seeking a lead delivery Provider to provide psychological treatment for anxiety and depression as part of the Working Well expansion and specifically in seamless partnership with the Personalised Support Service. Commissioners expect therapy capacity to be explicitly ring fenced and used solely for the clients attached to the Working Well Programme (or others agreed by the Commissioner). This provision is intended for step 2 and 3 within the stepped care model to support the face to face treatment of a range of common mental health problems: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Counselling Couples Therapy Brief Dynamic Therapy Interpersonal Psychotherapy 2.2. For further information please refer to Annex B 'Defining common mental health problems'; and Annex C 'The Stepped Care model' 2.3. The Talking Therapies must be delivered in accordance with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. These services will be delivered across the Greater Manchester conurbation which includes the following local authorities: Bolton Bury Manchester Oldham Rochdale Salford Stockport Tameside Trafford Wigan 2.4. The Provider must ensure that its premises (and those of any potential supply chain), in which in intends to deliver services are easily accessible in terms of geographical coverage. Clients should not have to travel disproportionate distances in order to access therapies. This should be a key consideration to prevent clients from cancelling appointments and remaining engaged with service delivery.