Culture of Care: Staff Training Support and Ward Manager Leadership Programme

NHS England is notifying the market that in January 2024, we intend to issue an Invitation to Tender (ITT) to procure a supplier, or consortium of suppliers, to deliver training and support to ward leaders and staff teams, focused on supporting leaders to improve culture and promoting relational ways of working within ward teams. This forms part of a wider national culture change programme to enable up to 60 providers of NHS-commissioned inpatient mental health services to implement and embed the Culture of Care Standards for Mental Health Inpatient Services. The interventions within this programme will run for 2 years from April 2024 to end of March 2026.

The work forms a significant part of Theme 2: Improving culture and supporting staff of the Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism Quality Transformation Programme.

This procurement is intended to secure delivery on the following two interventions over the two year terms:

• Ward Manager Leadership Development Programme
• Staff Team Training and Support Offer

Tenderers will have the option to bid for one, or both, of the specified Lots.

Further detail about the Culture of Care Standards for Mental Health Inpatient Services will be available in the specification and ITT documentation. 12 key areas of focus (core commitments) underpin the work, as follows:

1. Lived Experience integration at all levels
2. Safety
3. Relationships
4. Staff Support
5. Equality
6. Avoiding Harm
7. Needs-Based Care
8. Empowering Choice
9. Nurturing Environment
10. Activities and Initiatives on the Ward
11. Therapeutic Support
12. Transparency

This procurement is subject to approval and NHS England governance processes before it can be published.