Healthy Start Alpha Phase

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done For Government’s drive to make service digital by default, Ministers have asked us to move to at least a large trial of a digital by default delivery system, if not a complete move across for Healthy Start vouchers by the review point in 2017. Summer of 2016, we ran a discovery phase to examine the feasibility of digitising the process of people applying for, receiving and spending Healthy Start vouchers. During the discovery we spoke to health professionals and parents who are eligible for Healthy Start to understand their needs. We also identified potential methods for distributing Healthy Start digitally. Problem to Be Solved The discovery phase made it clear that there are multiple opportunities to better meet user needs. These included the provision of the Healthy Start benefit via an online account, accessible via a plastic card, which would give users more control over their spending in a form that is more convenient than paper vouchers, tapping into DWP and HMRC systems to auto-enroll eligible users, and enabling users to apply online without approval from health professionals. The alpha phase would test these assumptions through a process of prototyping and more detailed technical and policy analysis. Who Are the Users Pregnant women on qualifying benefits and with earnings below a specified threshold, and all pregnant women aged under 18. Parents with children under the age of four, on qualifying benefits and with earnings below a specified threshold. Health professionals (including midwives, health visitors). Retailers. Early Market Engagement 1. Users really value the HS scheme 2. The scheme is not reaching all those who are eligible - particularly during pregnancy 3. Awareness relies too heavily on busy health professionals and word of mouth 4. The requirement for a health professional to sign the form adds unnecessary friction to the application process 5. The complexity of the passported benefit arrangement, and the transition arrangements within HS when the child is born, are easily misunderstood by both users and health professionals, sometimes leading to delays in receiving benefit or unexpected stoppages. 6. Requiring pregnant users to call HSIU when their baby is born to continue receiving support is counter-intuitive and inconvenient for many mothers and health professionals 7. Users want control over how they use their Healthy Start benefit value 8. Users want a reliable and stress-free interaction with retailers 9. Users experience issues with the paper vouchers and most are ready for some kind of digital solution 10. Although users often have smartphones there is evidence of degrees of digital exclusion within the HS demographic. We must make sure any solutions work for everyone. Work Already Done A successful discovery was completed on 6th September 2016. Please see the previous answer for more detail. Existing Team The service manager role will be provided by the NHSBSA. Current Phase Alpha Work Location Leeds, London, Mansfield and remote locations. Working Arrangments The team will be located across Leeds (DH), London (DH) and the NHS Business Services Authority (Mansfield), plus the contractors (location tbc) and so will make use of VC technology and will arrange in-person meetings at key points. Security Clearance N/A Additional T&Cs None Skills & Experience Demonstrate how you will apply your skills and expertise to... Deliver digital services that meet the GDS Digital Service Standard criteria and pass GDS service assessments and how this will ensure the successful delivery of this service Develop prototypes (card system, instant reimbursement) iteratively via user testing/research and how this will ensure the successful delivery of this service Develop digital services using agile methodologies and how this will ensure the successful delivery of this service Prioritise key content and features using metrics, analytics, and user feedback and how this will ensure the successful delivery of this service Prioritise product and programme delivery using effective estimation and sizing techniques and how this will ensure the successful delivery of this service Design and build services which meet user needs, follow GDS design patterns, meet accessibility standards and how this will ensure the successful delivery of this service Nice to Haves Demonstrate experience of successful delivery of digital services from Discovery to Live, involving retirement of legacy services Have experience upskilling client staff No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria Approach and methodology Technical solution How the approach or solution meets user needs Estimated timeframes to complete the work Team structure (with roles and responsibilities) Value for money How risks and dependencies are identified and approaches to manage them Approach to maintaining control, transparency and quality Cultural Fit Criteria Work as a team with our organisation and other suppliers Transparent and collaborative when making decisions Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method Written proposal Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 10% Price 30% Questions from Suppliers Budget range £80k - £90k