Provision of Psychiatric Intensive Care Units (PICU) Services on behalf of NHS Derby & Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group (DDCCG)

NHS Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board (DDICB) (formerly Clinical Commissioning Group) (referred to as the Commissioner) invited suitably qualified and experienced providers to express an interest in delivering the Service(s), by responding to the opportunity as required and described within the published tender. NHS Arden and Greater East Midlands CSU (AGCSU) acted as an agent for and on behalf of the Commissioner and is supporting the procurement process.

The Derbyshire NHS mental health service provider (Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (DHcFT) did not provide a PICU service for patients to access. DDICB were seeking to procure PICU service(s) to meet the Derbyshire population need for psychiatric intensive care services.

The purpose of the Psychiatric Intensive Care Service is to provide high quality holistic care in a safe and therapeutic setting for service users in the most acute and vulnerable stage of illness. It is not for long term care.

To ensure care is contracted to meet this demand DDICB wished to procure a block contract agreement for the provision of care and support for 9 Male beds (Lot 1) and 4 Female beds (Lot 2) for an initial period of 2 years (commencing 1st February 2022 to 31st January 2024) with an option to extend for up to a maximum of a further 23 months (until 31st December 2025).

It was accepted that with fluctuating demand there may be times when additional service provision is required above the block contract agreements for both Lot 1 - Males and Lot 2 - Females. As such DDICB wished to enter into a Spot-purchase (Lot 3) contract agreement where individual placements could be called-off against agreed terms and conditions. The Spot - purchase arrangement was for an initial period of 2 years (commencing from 1st November 2021 to 31st October 2023) with an option to extend for up to a maximum of a further 23 months (until 30th September 2025).

Full details of the service were included as part of the tender documentation.

The Commissioner was not able to award contracts for Lot 1 and Lot 2 as no bids were received that met the minimum quality threshold advertised.

Lot 3 was awarded on a zero value, zero volume basis.