Medical Outreach Service

Tender description

The Council intends to tender for the provision of an Inclusion Services- Medical Outreach Service, with an anticipated start date of 1st September 2021, for a period of up to 3 years. Local Authorities have the statutory duty to arrange full (or part time when appropriate to needs) education for children of compulsory school age who, because of illness, would otherwise not receive suitable education. The Service Provider will provide outreach tuition for between 16 and 24 Southampton pupils who are unable to attend their usual school due to medical needs. The focus will be upon reintegration to mainstream school following the Southampton City Council admissions process. Pupils receiving the benefit of the Services do so for a range of reasons; not all have been accommodated as in patients within a hospital setting. Many have experienced, or are currently experiencing, challenging personal circumstances either through short, acute periods of illness or longer term, chronic conditions. Outreach teaching is a key part of the support landscape for pupils who face such challenges, as it can provide specialist intervention and programmes to boost self-esteem, as well as enabling pupils to address more complex medical issues.