Health services

Tender description

The Department of Health (DH) helps people live better for longer. We lead, shape and fund health and care in England, making sure people have the support, care and treatment they need, with compassion, respect and the dignity they deserve. An organisation is sought to provide a Speaking Up package of services for people who work in the NHS and Adult Social Care sector and for providers of NHS services and Adult Social Care services. The objective of the guidance and signposting helpline is to support people who wish to speak up about matters that affect the delivery of care, particularly patient safety. The DH require the Speaking Up helpline to provide: 1. a telephone helpline; 2. a website; 3. guidance and ‘signposting’ — available during and outside ‘open hours’; 4. escalation procedures where issues such as potential safeguarding situations need to be acted upon; 5. user feedback; 6. performance data for regular reporting of management information; and 7. awareness raising / promotion activity. The target customer base for the helpline service is: 1. NHS workers (including trainees, agency staff, and those that work outside of normal working hours); 2. Staff employed in the adult social care sector (including trainees, agency staff, and those that work outside of normal working hours); 3. NHS and social care employing organisations; 4. Contractors for the NHS and social care sector. The DH the organisation to provide: 1. ‘Intelligent guidance’ for people who wish to speak up from the Health and Adult Social Care sectors, including ‘signposting’ to appropriate material, to support them in ‘speaking up’; 2. Access to guidance on ‘Speaking Up’ (including whistleblowing) for organisations within the NHS and social care environment; and 3. Promote the helpline to those that may wish to use it. This procurement is being undertaken by the DH for use by a wide range of people that work in the NHS and Health and Social Care. Within the NHS these may include but are not limited to DH Arm's Length Bodies (ALBs), Special Health Authorities (SHAs), non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), all NHS bodies including but not limited to health service bodies as defined in section 9 of the NHS Act 2006 (as updated and amended), NHS Foundation Trusts, providers of NHS funded care, any government department, agency or other statutory body and any successor bodies to these entities. The Authority may be required to novate the contract to any of the bodies identified in this notice post award. Full details about how to access the tender documents are provided in section VI.3) Additional information: of this contract notice.