Kent & Medway NHS Talking Therapies (formerly known as IAPT)

NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board are undertaking a procurement process and are inviting suitably qualified and experienced providers to bid for INHS Talking Therapies Services.

The procurement is split into Lots:

Lot 1: East Kent

Lot 2 West Kent

Lot 3 Medway & Swale

Lot4 Dartford, Gravesham & Swanley

The anticipated contract duration will be for an initial period of 3 years with an option to extend for up to a further 2 years as required.

The service is a Schedule 3 Service and is being procured under the Light Touch Regime(LTR) of the Public Contract Regulations 2015.

The service will provide psychological therapies treatment for people age 17.5 and over with a common mental illness. The service will deliver Step 2 and Step 3 interventions, and clinicians will use GAD7 and PHQ-9 scores and other clinical indicators to determine the level of intervention required.

Providers are expected to follow the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies manual to implement and deliver effective assessment and treatment. It is the responsibility of the provider to ensure it has the required resources and workforce to support the range of treatment modalities required as per the IAPT manual. https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/the-iapt-manual-v5.pdf

The provider is required to implement referral pathways that are easy to understand, recognisable and simple to navigate. Services must seek out and activate innovative outreach mechanisms to meet the identified needs of the local population for example peer support, community development workers. This must include active case finding methods to reach in to our local communities to ensure that adult psychological therapy services are present, the benefits of treatment are shared in a variety of formats, and information about access is widely distributed whether through digital means or in person discussions with a wide range of patients, public and partner organisations. Additional information: Initial 3 year contract, with possible 2 year extension option