Provision of an Inpatient and Outpatient Mental Health Service

This Prior Information Notice is to alert the market that the Authority shall have a requirement for the provision of occupationally focused high-quality mental health service to service personnel and entitled eligible civilians deemed to require an inpatient assessment, or a period of stabilisation and treatment (and in some cases (< 10 per annum) under 18’s). Within the contract the Authority will request outpatient psychotherapy services, of largely high intensity therapy, averaging a rolling 90 (annual total of no more than 416 referrals) new referrals for National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) approved psychotherapy for all Defence Community Mental Health and Defence mental health staff and other identified personnel. These are expected to reduce from year 2 of the contract by 30 referrals per annum. In addition, an online CBT provision to provide access to digital cognitive behavioural therapy (incorporating but not limited to the core provision of CBTi for Anxiety and CBTi for Depression) to meet the needs of a population of 5,000 Armed Forces members per annum for whom digital CBT will be a step 2 option within their care pathway via GP referral, will be required. Each patient from this total population who chooses to engage with CBTi following GP referral will be given 12 weeks access as a minimum. This initial access does not exclude them from re-accessing this option again in the same 12-month period should that need arise.