2017/S 120-242653 Dementia Care Safe Beds

Safe Beds are an alternative admission to an acute hospital for people with a superimposed delirium on dementia.

Walsall CCG intends to operate a twelve month pilot with a suitably experienced local nursing home provider (The Lakes) with capacity for the provision of up to six Safe Beds @ a rate of £1,500 per bed per week. This will be with a view to proving concept and within 6 months of operating the pilot the CCG will review the outcomes and if successful in the following six months undertake a procurement for the service with a view to awarding a contract for three years, with an option to extend by a further two.

The successful operator will be in, or in close proximity to, Walsall.

Providers must operate in a dementia friendly environment with six beds away from existing residents and must also be experienced and currently providing care to people with dementia and behaviour that challenges. Staff skills should be in both dementia and physical health care.

When tendering the commissioner will assess potential providers through a combination of evaluating tender responses, presentations and site visits to assess the relevance of the provider's experience, the extent of the experience, the suitability of the existing environment, the capability of staff and management arrangements and the track record of outcomes. These will be assessed in equal measure.

Both the pilot and the tendered service will be provided in accordance with the terms of the 2017-18 NHS Standard Contract (or the latest iteration).

A call for competition will be issued as part of the procurement process.