Mental Health Approvals Function Services

Under the Mental Health Act, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is responsible for the approval of Section 12 doctors and Approved Clinicians, roles with specific responsibilities under the Act relating to the assessment for detention and to the treatment of patients. These functions are collectively referred to as 'the Approval functions'.

The Approval functions have been vested in the Secretary of State since the enactment of the MHA but can be delegated by virtue of regulations made under the National Health Service Act 1977 and directions issued under the National Health Service Act 2006.

Th Department of Health and Social Care is looking to appoint suitable providers for the delivery of the approval functions of Section 12 doctors and Approved Clinicians.

For avoidance of doubt this is not a call for competition, the purpose is to advise the market on the forthcoming DHSC procurement and seek feedback from the suppliers on the proposed approach and specifications and gain better understanding of the market and appetite for the projects. Contract Project Reference: C286329 Lots and value: The total value of the contract for the 5 year is £5,977,820. The contract will be divided into 4 lots that correspond with clear geographical areas: (J38370_NHS_England_ICS_England_Map_Web_May22_v4)

• Lot 1: the area covered by NHS England North East and Yorkshire and North West. Total value - £1,421,020
• Lot 2: the area covered by NHS England Midlands and East of England. Total value - £1,545,600
• Lot 3: London. Total value - £1,621,000
• Lot 4: the area covered by NHS England South East and South West. Total value - £1,390,200.

Total budget available for each lot and each year is set out in the specifications. Contract term: Initial period of two years (from 1st April 2025 to 31st March 2027). The authority at its own discretion may extend the initial term of the contract for additional periods of up to 3 years (2 +1). The total duration of the contract, including all extensions, cannot exceed 5 years. This market engagement process do not form part of the formal procurement process. When the formal procurement process commences any supplier may join the competition and all supplier bids will be evaluated on the same basis. The contracting authority considers that this future opportunity may be suitable for economic operators that are small or medium enterprises (SMEs). However, any selection of tenderers will be based solely on the criteria set out for the procurement.

The future procurement exercise will be undertaken via Atamis system. Select this link to access and register your organisation to the Atamis system https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome, if you have not already done so. Registration is free of any charge. To find this opportunity in the future, select “Find Opportunities” and then search by project number or title. Once you have found the Opportunity press the ‘Register Interest’ button to register your interest. This will make the project to appear on ‘My proposals and quotes’. From there you can review documents, send clarification messages, submit the tender documents, or decline to respond, if you decide not to participate in the procurement. Note that as there will be 3 separate procurements the project reference for each procurement will be quoted at the time of contract notice.

The completed questionnaire should be returned via email [email protected] quoting ‘MH approval Panels’ no later than 2nd August 2024, 5pm. Additional information: Draft specifications and market engagement questionnaire can be found in here: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/4c456141-9b82-4f2d-a74c-809d91c447a2