HCT - Speech and Language Therapy assessments

Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust ("HCT") (the Authority") has a backlog of children on their clinic lists that require Speech and Language Therapy assessments.

HCT is working with the Herts Wide CCG to outsource most of these patients in an effort to reduce the waiting times for an assessment and to enable the implementation of a new diagnostic process. As such, the Authorities are seeking proposals from appropriately qualified companies who can take on the outstanding assessments to assist with clearing the backlog.

HCT is seeking a value for money, high quality service that will be responsive to the needs of the client. Robust contract management and good effective liaison with HCT's key contacts will be required.

Contracts are anticipated to go live in August 2021 and will run until the backlog of assessments is completed. It is expected that the contract term will be less than a year.

In the event of any bidders not being able to complete the required amount of assessments in the timeframe specified, HCT reserves the right to award to additional bidders in order to complete the assessments The Supplier will be required to carry out Speech Language Therapy assessments on the cohort of children that is provided to them on behalf of HCT, at the scale required and within the timeframes of delivery.

The Supplier will be required to outline where the assessments will take place, whether these will these be face to face Speech and Language Therapy assessments or virtual.

The Supplier will be an expert provider of NICE compliant Speech and Language Therapy assessments and will be familiar with all methods and diagnostic tools used.

Part of the service will include providing feedback and a completed report to the parents and child, as well as a copy of the final report to the HCT Community Paediatrics teams for their records.

The Supplier will provide monthly updates in a format agreed by HCT, reporting on completed assessments, summarising the number of children seen and, those who have not attended their appointment.

The Supplier shall performance monitor its activities/ services to demonstrate that the Services are achieved and where not achieved the extent of any shortfall is identified, reported and acted upon.

Detailed supporting information will be made available to HCT should it be required, and all reports must be provided in the manner prescribed and in accordance with GDPR legislation, to ensure that the Authorities are able to access data as and when required.