Agenda item

AUTHORISATION FOR EXEMPTION TO AWARD A FURTHER INTERIM CONTRACT FOR COMMUNITY WELLBEING SERVICE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE AND FUTURE PROCUREMENT OPTION (PART 1)

(To follow)

Minutes:

Report ECHS19067

 

The contract for the Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Service had been held by Bromley Y since 1st December 2014, and had been extended to 31 May 2020. This contract worked alongside the local clinical and community mental health services for children and young people commissioned and procured by NHS Bromley CCG (BCCG), delivered primarily by NHS Oxleas but also by Bromley Y.  The services commissioned by the Council and BCCG provided a pathway for children and young people’s mental health support in the borough.

On 7 January 2019, the NHS long-term plan (NHS LTP) was published, setting out key ambitions for the NHS over the next 10 years. Among the policy directives revealed in the LTP were the intention for partnerships of commissioners and providers to lead Integrated Care Partnerships (ICPs) and a reduced necessity for market testing and competitive procurement in favour of collaborative work such as alliances and other partnerships.

In light of these significant changes in national policy, BCCG had confirmed that there will no longer be circumstances in the near term in which they would wish to re-procure the NHS Oxleas contract, including the Children and Adolescent Mental Health service (CAMHs). The report therefore set out a proposed joint response to this change in policy landscape to jointly commission a new service that incorporated both the community wellbeing and specialist clinical CAMHS services currently commissioned in Bromley.

Officers confirmed that a written assurance would be obtained from BCCG that they would be committed to the new arrangements.

The report had been scrutinised at the Children, Education and Families PDS Committee meeting on 9th July 2019 and the Committee supported the proposals.

 

RESOLVED that

 

(1) The award of a further short term contract to Bromley Y, via an exemption to competitive tendering, for ten months from 1 June 2020 to 31 March 2021 be approved; this will ensure sufficient time for a successful tender process and adequate time for the production of a new service specification, while maintaining continuity of service and support to vulnerable young people; it will also avoid the disruption of the NHS England funded Trailblazer which is currently due to finish in March 2021.

(2) That the proposal for proceeding to procurement of an integrated Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Service (Tier 1 & 2 only) with an initial contract term of five years, with two options to extend for two periods of up to two years each, making a total potential contract term of nine years, be approved; the contract will be procured with funding from both BCCG and the Council. (For more details of this proposed procurement, please see sections 4, 6 and 8 of the report. It is further proposed that a Gateway 2 report to seek approval to award a contract to the successful bidder will be brought before members in 2020.)

(3) It is noted that BCCG have given a commitment to provide resources to support the procurement and contract management of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Service, as well as the transfer of core costs and NHS England Trailblazer funds to LBB in a joint funding agreement in accordance with Section 75 of the NHS Act 2006.

Supporting documents: