Croydon Intermediate Care Bed Service

NHS South West London CCG is inviting expressions of interest from suitably experienced and capable providers, to provide an Intermediate Care Bed Service to residents within the borough of Croydon. Specifically, the service will provide a range of 'step- up' and 'step down' nursing beds through joint working with the NHS and Croydon Council to ensure that Service Users' physical, mental, and social wellbeing needs are met and avoid acute hospital stays where it is appropriate to do so. Noting the wider Intermediate Care model that will be supported by NHS and Council services, this invitation for expressions of interest, is for providers of nurse lead and carer delivered beds in the community setting, appropriately registered with the Care Quality Commission. The service is intended to provide up to fourteen (14) Intermediate Care Beds in Croydon on a "block" (fixed value) contract basis. The service should have a flexibility to increase bed capacity by six (6) additional nursing beds, particularly during the winter pressure period and at other times when additional capacity is needed. IDEALLY, this capacity could be made available in two (2) locations across Croydon, i.e. one being accessible for patients in the north of Croydon, the other being more accessible in the south of Croydon. The CCG's model for Intermediate Care includes for a range of functions such as specialist therapeutic input to support delivery of responsive rehabilitation for people who would otherwise face unnecessarily prolonged hospital stays; or inappropriate admission to acute inpatient care; or long-term residential care. However, this therapeutic element is intended to be commissioned separately by the CCG, to be delivered by the Community Teams of the Croydon Health Services NHS Trust. Social Workers funded and commissioned by Croydon Council will also support clients' needs throughout their stay. Current thinking is that the contract(s) may have an initial duration of 2 years, with potential to be extended for up to a further 2 years (4 years being the maximum). The modelled contract value is in the region of £800k per year to meet the current needs of Croydon's residents, with the initial 2-year duration worth up to £1.6m (or £3.2m if 4 years). £800k assumes access to 14 beds over 8 months of the year (April through November) and access to 20 beds over 4 months (December through March), with an average weekly cost per bed of £962.