Delivery of Online Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Services via a Live Messaging, Text-Based Modality

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done To provide an online alternative for service users to access CBT for common mental health problems, under the remit of IAPT. NHS England has an 18-week waiting list target for psychological therapies. The Trust wants to provide an alternative method for service users – including those in remote and rural areas – to engage with psychological therapy and also to increase capacity for CBT delivery. The requirement is for an ‘off the shelf’, existing, proven solution. Problem to Be Solved Increasing demand is outstripping current capacity and the Trust requires a solution that is not dependent on staff recruitment plans. As well as needing to increase capacity to deliver CBT, the Trust is looking to provide an alternative means of engagement for service users who have difficulty travelling to distant clinics on a regular basis. Recruiting qualified staff to work locally is often challenging, as can be the availability of premises to meet service users, so a remote solution is required. Additionally, the Trust wants to offer service users the flexibility of access to therapy outside of normal working hours. Who Are the Users The service users are people over the age of 16 suffering from moderate to moderately severe psychological distress (IAPT Step 3). They need access to a computer, tablet or mobile phone that they can use from their home or workplace so that they can work with a qualified and supervised therapist, using effective CBT techniques to improve their coping skills and reduce the distress caused by their psychological difficulties. Early Market Engagement Preliminary discussions have been had with IESO Digital Health, who the Trust has previously used to provide a similar service. Work Already Done The Trust has consulted with regional colleagues regarding recommended suppliers. Existing Team The supplier will primarily be working with the Operational and Clinical Leads in the respective IAPT teams. Within Hertfordshire, this countywide service is delivered by the Wellbeing team, which is a well-established service within the Trust - having successfully delivered IAPT since 2008 - and one of the initial pathfinder sites. The North East Essex Health in Mind services have been providing access to a wide range of talking therapy treatments for individuals with common mental health problems in and around Colchester and Tendring since 2014. Both services demonstrate excellent clinical outcomes and compare well to IAPT services nationally. Current Phase Discovery Work Location The Trust’s registered address is: Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, The Colonnades, Beaconsfield Road, Hatfield, AL10 8YE. The service will be delivered remotely over the internet. Working Arrangments Contract review and discussion can be conducted remotely, although one or more site visits may be required. The interface between the Trust and the supplier will need to be regular to ensure service user care is seamless. All initial assessments will be undertaken by the Trust’s IAPT service. Expenses related to the marketing, communication and delivery of the service (such as travel) will not be reimbursed and should be factored into the overall price quoted. Security Clearance The supplier will meet existing NHS standards around data, information governance and service user confidentiality. The therapists providing the interventions will have up-to-date DBS checks at the appropriate level. Additional T&Cs The contract will use the terms and conditions of the NHS Standard Sub-Contract for the Provision of Clinical Services. The number of sessions offered to service users should be in line with NICE guidelines for CBT treatment. Sessions usually take place once a week and last up to 60 minutes. For this contract, the definition of treatment will be a minimum of two attended appointments. Dropout rates and the average number of sessions will be monitored through the contract to ensure that these levels are within appropriate boundaries and that clinical quality is maintained. Skills & Experience Ability to begin planning and mobilisation phase upon contract award. Solution implementation and acceptance of referrals within 6-8 weeks of contract award. Ability to meet the following approximate demand profile for service users beginning treatment - Months 1-6 (up to April 2020): 100+ per month; Months 6-12: 30+ per month. Must have an existing solution with a proven track record and be able to provide a case study, customer reference, performance data and a product demonstration (if required). Must be able to demonstrate the BABCP accreditation of all therapists delivering care using the solution. Ensure that therapists providing the interventions have appropriate clinical supervision in place to ensure governance and quality standards are adhered to, in line with BABCP guidance. The CBT provided must comply with NICE guidelines, with validated PHQ9, GAD 7, PEQ and WSAS recovery metrics monitored to ensure compliance. Be willing and able to fully adhere to the mandatory data collection required of national IAPT services and a commitment to good data quality. The service user website account should also allow for messages to be delivered independent of scheduled therapy sessions (offline messaging). Availability of scheduled therapy at evenings and weekends. Provide regular data on key performance indicators including waiting times and recovery rates for service users (specific management information to be agreed with the successful supplier). Ability to evidence minimum clinical recovery rate of 50% of treated service users. Management of supplier service-related communication between service users and GPs, if requested. Treatment delivered by supplier to Trust service users not to be provided by Trust staff. The supplier will be required to update the Trust ePR, PCMIS. Ensure that data collected by the supplier is securely transferred to the Trust’s ePR in a timely manner. Therapy should be delivered by means of live, typed conversation allowing full transcripts of sessions to be securely retained and accessed. The therapy website must have effective security controls and ID authentication in place for both the service user and therapist. Be able to provide evidence of fully secure data storage (ISO27001) and data portability mechanisms with full adherence to the Data Protection Act 2018. Have registered with NHS Digital and adherent with DSP toolkit. Have access to NHS Mail, or a commitment to obtain access before the contract start date, with any transfer of PID to be undertaken via nhs.net. Nice to Haves Have Long Term Health Condition-trained therapists offering an adaptive treatment model to suit the extra needs of this group. Ability to work with people at lower intensity (IAPT Step 2). DNA rate of <10%, evidenced as part of performance data. Website interaction and functionality. Solution available on multiple internet-enabled devices, operating systems and web browsers. Design and print of service user leaflets to increase awareness and education of online CBT. Supplier has additional proposals for assisting with promotion of the new service amongst healthcare professionals and potential service users. Offer early morning appointments. A proposal of how the supplier will work with the IAPT service for service users that are also receiving support by the IAPT employment service. Data storage in the UK. Evidence of a Data Protection Officer (name, details). Evidence of User Guidance documents (for the web portal). Start of treatment within 10 days of referral. Delivery of a training session (with supporting materials) for Trust clinicians to be able to identify service users who may be more appropriate for online CBT than face-to-face treatment. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 3 Proposal Criteria Solution fit compared to requirements. Experience and accreditation of delivery team and therapists, including evidence of appropriate qualifications, training and skills of the clinical staff offering the interventions. Evidence of good internal supervision standards. Technical components of web portal. Solution delivery timescales. Ability to meet indicated volumes. Availability of KPI and management information. Value for money. Solution will need to be simple to access and use by service users. The digital platform needs to be fully functional before the contract start date, and in use for the entire period. Assurance that the digital platform is managed and maintained effectively with clear protocols in place for disruption. Evidence of full adherence to the Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR regulations in terms of data storage and data portability. An understanding of supplier’s role as Data Processor/Data Controller. Documents to show data flow from start to end of the service offered. Evidence of communication plan between the supplier and Trust with regard to seamless service user care and clinical risk management. Be safe in approach to managing risk, including good communication with the Trust IAPT service. Cultural Fit Criteria Compliance with the Trust Values: Welcoming, Kind, Positive, Respectful; Professional. Be able to work effectively and collaboratively with the Operational and Clinical Leads in the respective IAPT teams. Be able to demonstrate awareness of the communities where service users are based. Be able to work with service users with low technical expertise. Demonstrate ideas for additional innovation and community benefits. Be responsive to data trends and responsive to issues, and proactive in identifying problems and solutions. Be open around communication issues. Provide a service user-focused service. Payment Approach Fixed price Assessment Method Written proposal Case study Reference Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 10% Price 30% Questions from Suppliers Budget range project funding will be discussed after contract award, as appropriate. the project currently has funding approved for one year at anticipated costs and volumes, based on indicative pricing assessed to date. the trust requests supplier pricing for the treatment of 800 service users, per the approximate monthly profile indicated below, but with the flexibility to increase this requirement subject to demand and agreement between the parties. suppliers to provide a breakdown of costs and should factor in provision for any service users who have only one session of therapy.