Keyworking Function

Concepts

• health services
• colchester
• keyworkers support children
• keyworker function
• keyworker support
• keyworker
• keyworking
• keyworkers
• young people
• nhs england

Location

Ipswich and East Suffolk and West Suffolk localities

Description

The Keyworking Function (KWF) has been developed as a response to the NHS England & NHS Improvement Long Term Plan (LTP) commitment that by 2023/24, children and young people with a learning disability, autism, or both, with the most complex needs will have a designated Keyworker: implementing the recommendations made by Dame Christine Lenehan. These are our children: a review by Dame Christine Lenehan. Initially, keyworker support has been provided to children and young people with a learning disability and/or who are autistic, to avoid unnecessary admission or overly lengthy stays in mental health or specialist learning disability settings, and to keep them and their families safe and well in their community. Every ICS now has an operational, or soon to be operational, keyworking service, funded by new money from the NHS Long Term Plan delivered through each of the seven NHS England regions. Some areas have already extended this offer to young people up to the age of 25. From 2023/24, it is expected that all ICSs will offer their keyworking services to young people up to the age of 25. In addition, by 2024, NHS England are due to deliver the "Keyworker Code of Practice".

Total Quantity or Scope

The Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023, Paragraph 10 - The Most Suitable Provider Process has been used to procure this service. This is a notice to inform the market of the intention to award a contract for Keyworker Function for Ipswich and East Suffolk and West Suffolk localities to Suffolk County Council. This is a new contract for an existing service to be delivered by an existing provider of this service. Keyworkers support children and young people; identified via the Suffolk DSR, with the most complex needs and their families and carers to make sure families are fully involved in their plans, feel listened to and informed, plans are personalised, and they have the support they need at the right time, in a co-ordinated way. By March 2024 children and young people with a learning disability, autism or both aged 0-25 years with the most complex needs will have a designated keyworker. Keyworkers support children, young people and their families to avoid admission to a mental health hospital wherever possible. Where admission to hospital cannot be avoided, the keyworker should remain as a core member of the professional network throughout the person's period of admission and be included in CETRs and support through to discharge. The contract will be awarded with an initial contract term of 5 years (60 months) and a potential extension period of up to 2 years (24 months), maximum term of 84 months (the "Proposed Contract"). The total aggregated value of contract will be £2,590,000 which is an annual value of £370,000 (the "Proposed Contract"). The contract value will be subject to annual inflation/deflation at national NHS rates as prescribed in NHS Payment Scheme guidance.

Award Detail

Renewal Options

The contract will be awarded with an initial contract term of 5 years (60 months) and a potential extension period of up to 2 years (24 months), maximum term of 84 months (the "Proposed Contract").

Award Criteria

CPV Codes

• 85100000 - Health services

Indicators

• Options are available.
• Award on basis of price.

Legal Justification

This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intention to award notice. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this award. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period. Representations by providers must be made to decision makers by midnight 12th September 2024. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR.

Other Information

This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intended approach notice. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this award. This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intention to award notice. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this award. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period. Representations by providers must be made to the relevant authority by 12th September 2024. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR. An F01: Prior information notice was published 8 July 2024, 4:21pm - Notice reference: 024/S 000-020817 Published Award decision-makers - NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Executive Committee - No conflicts of interest were declared. As described in the Provider Selection Regime statutory guidance the Most Suitable Provider process is undertaken when the ICB believes it is able to identify the most suitable provider without undertaking a competitive exercise. The process is designed to allow the ICB to make an assessment on which provider is most suitable to deliver the proposed contracting arrangements based on a consideration of the key criteria, the basic selection criteria and taking into account all relevant information available to it at the time, which included knowledge of the existing provision, benchmarking data, risks of change and the costs and benefits of existing and potential arrangements. The numerical assessment of whether a provider can deliver a comparable service is only one part of the evaluation process and the ICB reviewed this in conjunction with benchmarking data, market intelligence, the wider system impacts and the impact upon existing and future service users and staff (including those working for subcontracted partner organisations). The Oversight Group believed that the service currently delivered and planned by Suffolk County Council was at least comparable to other offers within the market and that other offers would not generate additional benefit, therefore negating the risks which are likely, in the opinion of the oversight group, to be experienced by the Ipswich and east Suffolk and west Suffolk populations were a change of provider to occur. It was felt by the project group that other offers available within the wider market would not offer enough potential benefits to outweigh the potential risks and costs associated with moving the service away from GP Primary Choice Ltd. The ICB retains the belief that Suffolk County Council is the most suitable provider for this service within the Ipswich and east Suffolk and west Suffolk localities.