The provision of a Residential Substance Use Medically Managed Detoxification Service

In April 2013, responsibility for Public Health, including the responsibility for commissioning substance use and other specialist Public Health Services, passed to the Local Authority

Sefton Council intends to secure the services of experienced and suitably qualified organisations to deliver a residential medically managed detoxification service for substance users resident in Sefton. A residential medically managed service is required for individuals wishing to realise a drug and/or alcohol-free life, but whose physical or mental health, family or social circumstances makes it unlikely that the person is able to realise this goal in a community setting

The current service has been hosted and provided by Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust as part of an integrated substance use treatment system. The contracted service has been delivered against a service specification, moderated and performance managed since 2013 by Sefton Council and is due to expire on 30th June 2021

Sefton Council wish to procure, through an OJEU Light-Touch Regime tender process, a residential medically managed detoxification service that meets local needs, in order to award a new contract. Submissions will be invited from suitably experienced and qualified organisations to deliver this service as the sole contractor. Sub-contracting will not be acceptable, and will lead to a fail at the pass/fail section. A residential bedded unit must be available within 15 miles of the Sefton border in order to pass at the pass/fail section.

This is due to the fact that service users will be residents of Sefton and it is believed that individuals are more likely to undergo a successful detoxification if they are able to maintain social and family networks during this critical treatment period. Additionally a significant number of individuals are likely to have either a dual diagnoses which require external medical treatment or may need contact with adult social care or housing support on discharge into the community, consequently a service within or close to Sefton is best placed to facilitate these improtant referrals.

This service will cater for adults 18 years and over and the value of the contract will include the cost of all medications required by the service user. The Local Authority would expect the provider to work with existing partners and use existing referral pathways that have been developed across the drug and alcohol treatment system including those between Adult Social Care, housing support services, hospitals and specialist health care providers, other residential detoxification services and residential rehabilitation programmes.