Improving Access to Psychological Therapies - Croydon

NHS Croydon CCG is commissioning an Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) Service.

The CCG wishes to commission an IAPT service for Croydon residents ensuring a safe, high quality and innovative service provision across the London Borough of Croydon, in line with the CCG's strategic vision.

The Croydon vision for an integrated IAPT service is one where all sections of the community are equally able to access the service; this will include communities which may be described as hard to reach. The service will maximise and ensure strong and effective links with physical health services to support people with, for example, long term conditions and medically unexplained symptoms where talking therapy may support better health outcomes. This will include links with pain management services to create a whole care pathway.

The CCG is looking for a single integrated service contract for the whole of the requirement. In light of the CCG's knowledge of and engagement with current providers and the wider market, it is recognised that this may be delivered through an alliance based model with a lead provider working alongside smaller, more specialised service providers, particularly where patient and stakeholder engagement has often identified a preference for non-statutory providers including from BAME communities.

The service model should be innovative and developed with regard to increasing access rates beyond the minimum specified by the CCG for each year of the contract using the provider's expertise in delivering waiting times and recovery rates within the service model, but within the constraints of the financial envelope available for each year of the contract.

Improving access to psychological therapies is a national programme to increase the availability of 'talking therapies' on the NHS.

IAPT is primarily for people who have mild to moderate mental health difficulties, such as depression, anxiety, phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder. These conditions are treated using a variety of therapeutic techniques, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), interpersonal therapy (IPT) and couples therapy.

IAPT seeks to use the least intrusive method of care possible to treat people. This is often called a 'stepped care model' and means that the patient is generally offered a low intensity therapy in the first instance. This can include computerised CBT (cCBT) and guided self-help. If low intensity treatments are unsuccessful or inappropriate the patient will be 'stepped up' to high intensity. This often takes the form of one on one CBT.

The Croydon IAPT service is expected to increase the number of people accessing the service year on year in order that services move closer to compliance with the targets set out in the NSHE 5year Forward View, that by 2020/21 there will be increased access to psychological therapies so that at least 25% of people with common mental health conditions can access services each year.

Additional information: NHS Croydon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is hosting a Bidder Briefing event for prospective bidders for the provision of IAPT services in Croydon.

The bidder briefing will provide interested organisations with an overview of the proposed new services and the CCGs requirements and desired outcomes. There will also be an overview of the procurement process and the opportunity to network with other providers.

The briefing will take place from 2pm on 25th July 2017. The briefing will be held at the following location:

Croydon Conference Centre, Surrey House, 5-9 Surrey St, Croydon CR0 1RG

The contract to be awarded will be for an initial 3 years with the service expected to commence from 1st April 2018, with an option of up to a further 2 years subject to agreement.

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