NHS Hull Clinical Commissioning Group & Hull City Council - Social Prescribing Service (including generalist welfare advice)

NHS Hull CCG and Hull City Council are holding a Market Engagement Event for organisations with an interest in a newly developed Social Prescribing service. Social prescribing is a way of linking people, often those presenting in primary care, with sources of non-medical support in the community, usually provided by voluntary and community sector organisations. It is anticipated that a formal procurement will begin in October 2016 with the new service commencing between April and June 2017.

The Social Prescribing service will aim to maximise service users’ overall quality of life by supporting, signposting and connecting them with community groups and activity provision in their local area as well as providing a portfolio of general welfare advice. A draft service specification is attached.

The purpose of the Market Engagement Event is to raise market awareness of the future procurement, to give an overview of our vision for the new Social Prescribing service and to seek feedback on the proposed service model and draft service specification.

The commissioners intend to contract with a single lead provider for the entirety of the Social Prescribing service. Whilst the successful provider may sub-contract various elements of the service specification to other provider organisations, the commissioners will hold the lead provider to account for all contracted activity. Organisations considering themselves as potential lead providers will have the opportunity to meet commissioners in a dedicated 1:1 session during the market engagement event to discuss their experiences of delivering similar services.

Additional information: An agenda for the event will be published later, however, the event will comprise two distinct sessions, commencing 0930 hrs with the first session ending 1200 hrs and second session continuing into the afternoon.

The first session is open to all organisations with an interest in the Social Prescribing service including those not attending in the capacity of potential lead provider such as community groups and providers of social activity delivered in Hull and the immediate area. The views and feedback from these organisations is encouraged to shape the delivery model of the new service.

The second session is aimed specifically at those organisations with the capacity and capability of being the lead provider of the Social Prescribing service, as described above. These organisations are likely to have a specific perspective on the Social Prescribing service model based on their experiences of delivering similar services across the country.

The event will be an opportunity to receive a range of views on the proposed service model and specification but specific feedback will be welcomed on the following:

• Comment on the model of delivery, as described in the service specification;
• Overall views of the service specification;
• Any major barriers to delivering the objectives of this service;
• Based on any experiences from similar projects, the level of demand anticipated for this service;
• Any areas of the service user referral process and/or pathway unclear in the service specification;
• Experiences of GP referral behaviour from other similar projects;
• Comment on the proposed days/hours of operation.

It is currently anticipated that the total value of the contract will be in the region of £400k - £800k per annum. The contract length will be between 5 and 7 years.

The services to which this notice relates fall within the Light Touch Regime of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (as amended) ("the Regulations"). Neither the publication of this notice nor the employment of any particular terminology nor any other indication shall be taken to mean that the contracting authority intend to hold themselves bound by any of the Regulations save those applicable to the Light Touch Regime.

The Market Engagement Event will be held on 10 August 2016 at The Freedom Centre, 97 Preston Road, Hull HU9 3QB. To register for the event, please complete and return the registration form in the Response Form (Q) Tab on the NHS Sourcing Portal Project_ 20426, pqq_29282

Please remember to specify whether you request attendance at the first and/or second sessions (session two aimed at potential lead providers only).

There will be a maximum of two places available per organisation.

Deadline for registration is no later than 17:00 Sunday 31 July 2016.