Thrive into Work Individual Placement and Support Programme

The West Midlands Combined Authority is working with NHS England, the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), and the Department of Health (DH) to trial Individual Placement and Support (IPS) services in primary and community care settings. The aim is to test if this model can deliver a transformational improvement in employment, health, and wellbeing outcomes for people out of work with a self-defined long term health condition or disability.

The trial will deploy IPS employment specialists across primary and community NHS services focused on four areas anticipated to be based around CCG geographies: Sandwell & West Birmingham, Birmingham South Central, Dudley and Wolverhampton. It will run from October 2017 to March 2020, hosted by Wolverhampton CCG on behalf of the West Midlands Combined Authority.

The commissioner intends to hold two market engagement events, one in Wolverhampton on 12th June, and the other in Birmingham on 13th June. Full details are available as follows:

Wolverhampton event (12th June): https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/market-engagement-thrive-into-work-ips-programme-tickets-34848740521

Birmingham Event (13th June): https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/market-engagement-thrive-into-work-ips-programme-tickets-34848733500

The events will aim to engage with the market for the above services and to seek their opinions on how the service should be framed when it goes out to procurement at the end of June. Providers are advised to ensure that they have downloaded a copy of the draft service specification which is attached to this advert as commissioners will be seeking feedback from the market in this regard.

Additional information: This services being procured are Schedule 3 - Social and Other Specific Services and Arden and Greater East Midlands CSU acting on behalf of the Commissioner are bound only by those parts of the Regulations applying to schedule 3 services. Full details of the process used will be defined in the tender documents including the intended time limits.