Patient Advocacy Services

Tender description

NOE CPC are seeking engagement with providers of Advocacy Services to the NHS with a view to help inform the outputs of a future procurement of a framework agreement for these and other aligned services. <br/><br/>Everyone has a legal right to advocacy and public authorities are responsible for arranging independent advocacy services to assist people making or intending to make complaints, effectively supporting individuals during assessments, care planning, safeguarding and reviews and collaborating with families, friends, carers, commissioners and providers. <br/><br/>Our intention at present is to award a multi-lotted framework agreement. Lot 1: Lot 1: Independent advocates for patients using social care services • Independent advocates for patients using social care services (as per the Care Act 2014 and the Care and Support statutory guidance) Lot 2: Lot 2: Independent mental capacity advocates • Independent mental capacity advocates (as per the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and its Code of Practice) Lot 3: Lot 3: Independent mental health advocates • Independent mental health advocates (as per the Mental Health Act 1983 and its Code of Practice) Lot 4: Lot 4: Advocacy for Adult Secure Services • Advocacy for Adult Secure Services <br/>Secure services provide treatment for adults aged 18-years and over with mental disorders, these include mental illness (MI), personality disorder (PD) and neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) including learning disabilities (LD) and autism. There are three levels of secure services with specific criteria for each, High, Medium and Low. Lot 5: Lot 5: Advocacy for Children and Young People • Advocacy for Children and Young People <br/>While it is anticipated that this procedure is for children and young people making or intending to make a complaint, it covers representations which are not complaints. For example, children and young people should be able to secure the support of an advocate in putting forward <br/>representations for a change to be made in the service they receive, or the establishment <br/>they live in, without this having to be framed first as a specific complaint. Lot 6: Lot 6: Advocacy for Women’s Health • Advocacy for Women’s’ Health <br/>Although women in the UK on average live longer than men, women spend a significantly <br/>greater proportion of their lives in ill health and disability when compared with men. <br/>Not enough focus is placed on women-specific issues like miscarriage or menopause, <br/>and women are under-represented when it comes to important clinical trials. There are also far too many cases where women’s voices have not been listened to; the responses to the Women’s Health Strategy for England from the Department of Health & Social Care found 84% of respondents felt that this was the case.