Community health services

Tender description

The purpose is to establish a “Pseudo” Framework Agreement for delivery of various community health improvement services to people within the County of Dorset. Lot 1 Health Checks; Lot 2: Emergency Hormonal Contraception (EHC); Lot 3: Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC); Lot 4: Needle exchange; Lot 5: Supervised consumption of methadone and buprenorphine; Lot 6: Smoking Cessation. The services to which this Procurement relates fall within the Light Touch Regime (LTR) governing procurement of health, and other service contracts. Neither reference to “Framework Agreement” or the use of the term “Selection process” nor any other indication shall be taken to mean that the Council intends to hold itself bound to any regulations save those applicable to LTR provisions. This is a check designed for local residents aged from 40 to 74 years old, with some exceptions. The process, as laid out in government legislation, assesses a range of health factors, including smoking status, family history of coronary heart disease, body mass index, cholesterol level, blood pressure, physical activity levels, cardiovascular risk score, and alcohol consumption. In 2017-18 7733 health checks were completed. Emergency contraception can prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex or if the contraception used has failed, for example, a condom has split or missed a contraceptive pill. EHC uses chemicals that affect the release of an egg, and therefore can prevent pregnancy. There were 5 620 EHC interventions delivered in 2017-18. LARC refers to contraceptive methods that require administration less than once per cycle or month, specifically: — copper intrauterine devices, — progestogen-only intrauterine systems, — progestogen-only injectable contraceptives, — progestogen-only subdermal implants. There were 7 695 instances of LARC in 2017-18. Needle and Syringe Programmes (NSPs) supply needles and syringes for people who inject drugs. In addition, they often supply other equipment used to prepare and take drugs (for example, filters, mixing containers and sterile water). The main aim of needle and syringe programmes is to reduce the transmission of blood-borne viruses and other infections caused by sharing injecting equipment. It also reduces the risk to the public from discarded needles by providing the opportunity for disposal. In 2017-18, there were 17,497 visits for needle exchange. In some instances where an individual is prescribed medication to help treat a substance use disorder, clinical guidance recommends that the patient is observed while taking what is a potentially toxic medication. In 2017-18, 708 individuals were registered for supervised consumption. In 2017-18, 3127 people started a quit attempt with support. Several treatments are available to support people looking to stop smoking, including: — psychosocial behaviour change support, which offers people personalised support while they go through the process of quitting, — nicotine replacement therapy, which provides a low level of nicotine, without the tar, carbon monoxide and other poisonous chemicals present in tobacco smoke, — prescribed medication (i.e. Varenicline), which reduces cravings and blocks the rewarding and reinforcing effects of smoking.