Housing and Health Single Point of Contact Service

The subject matter of this process relates to the delivery of services which are listed in Schedule 3 of the Public Contract Regulations.

Oxfordshire County Council are commissioning and procuring a service to deliver a Housing and Health Single Point of Contact, providing a telephone advice service providing energy efficiency advice in the home and providing support and advice in the home through home visits. The service is integral to improving the health outcomes of populations and reducing inequalities through the provision of quality homes.

By providing energy efficiency advice and wider support related to cold damp homes, the Service will address housing related health inequalities and the needs of people with respiratory and cardiovascular disease or other long term conditions. It is a partnership service which has been developed through discussions with the District and City Councils, adult and children’s social care and the NHS. Evaluation of the service has been carried out to capture the views and preferences of residents and those who use the service.

The service will offer a telephone support service, to assess the energy, housing and health and wellbeing needs of individual residents. It will provide home visits to those with more complex needs to make those same assessments of need. The service will be responsive to the changing funding landscape to increase, and decrease, capacity to deliver telephone and home visit support to Oxfordshire residents.

This outreach service will offer an integrated, holistic assessment of an individual’s housing needs to help achieve safer, healthier housing conditions, by referring and signposting to energy efficiency schemes eg grants and loans, including support with energy bills, to support for other social and health problems, and to promote independent living. A holistic assessment via a home visit can better identify a range of problems and also enable people to access relevant support services.

The Contract period will be 2 years and 3 months (27 months), with an option for the Council to extend the Contract period by a further 2 years (24 months). The Contract is anticipated to commence on 29 July 2023 with service delivery due to commence on 29 October 2023.

Full details relating to this procurement are available through the Council's e-tendering portal at https://sebp.due-north.com/ (ref DN667124).

The subject matter of this process relates to the delivery of services which are listed in Schedule 3 of the Public Contract Regulations.

Oxfordshire County Council are commissioning and procuring a service to deliver a Housing and Health Single Point of Contact, providing a telephone advice service providing energy efficiency advice in the home and providing support and advice in the home through home visits. The service is integral to improving the health outcomes of populations and reducing inequalities through the provision of quality homes.

By providing energy efficiency advice and wider support related to cold damp homes, the Service will address housing related health inequalities and the needs of people with respiratory and cardiovascular disease or other long term conditions. It is a partnership service which has been developed through discussions with the District and City Councils, adult and children’s social care and the NHS. Evaluation of the service has been carried out to capture the views and preferences of residents and those who use the service.

The service will offer a telephone support service, to assess the energy, housing and health and wellbeing needs of individual residents. It will provide home visits to those with more complex needs to make those same assessments of need. The service will be responsive to the changing funding landscape to increase, and decrease, capacity to deliver telephone and home visit support to Oxfordshire residents.

This outreach service will offer an integrated, holistic assessment of an individual’s housing needs to help achieve safer, healthier housing conditions, by referring and signposting to energy efficiency schemes eg grants and loans, including support with energy bills, to support for other social and health problems, and to promote independent living. A holistic assessment via a home visit can better identify a range of problems and also enable people to access relevant support services.

Included in the requirements, based on NICE guidance is

• Advice and support about energy efficiency in the home from experts. This includes behavioural advice, as well as improving energy bill literacy.
• Advice and support is provided over the telephone and visits to the home.
• Support, referral and signposting to grants and loans to access funding for making energy efficiency improvements to the structure and heating system of the home
• Assessment of heating, energy and housing conditions.
• Assessment of holistic wellbeing needs, such as debt and mental and social wellbeing.
• Referral and signposting to local support organisations who address holistic wellbeing needs.

The Contract period will be 2 years and 3 months (27 months), with an option for the Council to extend the Contract period by a further 2 years (24 months). The Contract is anticipated to commence on 29 July 2023 with service delivery due to commence on 29 October 2023.

Full details relating to this procurement, including the Invitation to Tender and full Specification, are available through the Council's e-tendering portal at https://sebp.due-north.com/ (ref DN667124).