DHSC: SCI: Adult gender services waiting list – wellbeing pilot (southwest) 2026

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is seeking to commission an external provider to deliver a pilot "waiting well" service, designed to offer accessible, non-clinical support to adults (aged 18 and over) who are on the waiting list for an adult gender clinic in the southwest of England.

The pilot service will take a holistic approach, offering comprehensive support to eligible users as they prepare for their first clinic appointment as well as providing tailored advice and information, promoting healthier lifestyle choices such as smoking cessation and weight management, and promptly identifying individuals in crisis for rapid referral or signposting to appropriate services.

The overarching aims of the service are to:

-Improved self-reported wellbeing and resilience

-Increased readiness for first appointment with gender dysphoria clinic

-Increased ability to self-manage symptoms while awaiting clinical care.

-Reduced isolation and increased social connectedness.

The appointed provider will also work closely with an oversight and monitoring group to agree on outcome measures and systematically gather data, enabling robust, evidence-based evaluation of the service’s effectiveness and efficiency.

Contract Project Reference: C396416

Contract term: 12 months. The contract may be extended by a maximum of 3 months. The option to extend is optional to the Authority and is not planned at this stage, and if the option is exercised, additional funding must be obtained through internal approval processes.

Estimated contract value (Excluding extensions): £125,000 excluding VAT (£150,000 including VAT). Any contract extension will be remunerated on a pro-rata basis, proportionate to the original contract value.