Community health services

Tender description

This will be initially a 2-year pilot contract awarded to Leeds Survivor Led Crisis Service (LSLCS), a third sector provider with extensive experience in developing innovative safe haven models to deliver a Crisis House Service Pilot. LSLCS will develop this in partnership with Touchstone due to their expertise around working with BAME communities. This will be initially a 2-year pilot with Leeds Survivor Led Crisis Service (LSLCS), a third sector provider with extensive experience in developing innovative safe haven models, and which is already commissioned by the CCG to provide alternative crisis support services in Leeds. LSLCS will develop this in partnership with Touchstone due to their expertise around working with BAME communities. These organisations have a proven track record of high quality, effective service delivery, in a safe environment. Development of a mental health Crisis House has been part of the ongoing programme of work to develop and improve alternatives to acute hospital admission. The proposal is within budget for this element, and is considered to represent effective value for money. LSLCS and Touchstone already have long experience of working in collaboration to deliver services. However, the role of the Crisis House as an alternative to hospital admission creates opportunities for close working and integration with NHS crisis services as well, both inpatient and community-based teams. The Crisis House will increase patient choice and access to a range of services, by creating a wholly new option for crisis support that explicitly avoids admission to hospital. The Crisis House Pilot will also form part of the strategy in terms of responding to Covid and winter demand. It is the CCG's intention to procure a longer term service once the information gathered through the development of the model through the pilot has been assessed. In the circumstances the CCG were of the view (after undertaking some limited market engagement in their locality among capable providers) that LSLCS were the only provider in the market capable of providing this pilot service and as such that competition was absent for technical reasons (Reg 32(2)(b(ii)) thereby justifying the Direct Award of this short term contract by way of the negotiated procedure without prior notification.