NHS Devon - Provision of a Safe Bus for Plymouth City Centre and Torquay Town Centre

Tender description

NHS Devon ICB has successfully run the Safe Bus in Plymouth City and Torquay Town center to support people and providers within the nighttime economy, with the aim of reducing ambulance and Emergency Department (ED) attendances. To support the continued pressure on the health system and to support the nighttime economy the service is commissioned to operate 2200-0400 during nights of high footfall to ensure maximum impact. Lot 1: NHS Devon ICB has successfully run the Safe Bus in Plymouth City and Torquay Town center to support people and providers within the nighttime economy, with the aim of reducing ambulance and Emergency Department (ED) attendances. To support the continued pressure on the health system and to support the nighttime economy the service is commissioned to operate 2200-0400 during nights of high footfall to ensure maximum impact. During the operational months (23/04/22 - 05/08/23, Appendix 1) the Safe Bus in Plymouth has dealt with 482 patients over 84 deployments, with only a 9% onward referral to ED. In Plymouth the Safe Bus has been run on consistently on Saturday nights with additional deployments on night which are anticipated to be busy in the NTE, such as the world cup, freshers week, Halloween etc. A night bus / safe space pilot has been running in Torquay since July 2023 to test the need and meet seasonal demand. During the first 6 nights (July 2023), the team had 41 medical and welfare contacts and the service avoided 11 ambulances and 17 attendances at ED. Additional information: The Contract will be for an initial term of 2 years, with an option to extend for any period up to a further 12 months, at the sole discretion of the Commissioner. Services are scheduled to commence on 1st April 2024