Suffolk Night Owls Service

Tender description

Suffolk Night Owls was set up in 2014 as a local emotional support helpline for registered service users that also communicates via text and email as a support service. Registered people are those with complex emotional needs, including those with a diagnosis of Personality Disorder or who present with behaviours typical of such conditions. The service responds to requests to callbacks offering booked and timed appointments in-bound and outbound calls, and registered users can email and text. Lot 1: This is a local emotional support helpline for registered service users, the service runs 7 nights a week from 6.30pm - 1.00am with calls being taken between 7.00pm and 1.00am. The services offer time limited number of calls of approximately 20 minutes to offer support but with boundaries required for people with complex needs. There are approximately 700 people registered with 260 having not accessed the service to date with approx. 70 regular people in daily contact through to monthly contact, the majority of whom are amber RAG rated. The service will where necessary make onward professional referrals/contacts including safeguarding. NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board are awarding the contract named within this notice under the Direct Award C process which is outlined within the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. The provider named in this notice is an existing provider and has been reviewed through a Key Criteria assessment to ensure the awarding body is satisfied with current performance and reasonably expects the provider to be able to satisfy the contract which is the subject of this notice. The contract which is the subject of this notice has not changed considerably when compared with the existing / previous contract delivered by the named provider. The ICB may wish to introduce additional services during the lifetime of the contract ("Contract modifications"). Such contract modifications will be contemplated where additional requirements are similar and or complementary to the services already included in the Specification, at any given time. Such expansion would be by the addition of services commissioned by the Authority as named in the Contract Notice. To this end, after the award of contract, there is a possibility that the contract may be varied as allowable in accordance with the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023.