HAC5943 - Mental Health Supported Living Services

This is a notice to interested suppliers of Adult Health Services that Tower Hamlets Council will be holding a virtual pre-tender market engagement event on Monday 23rd October from 1pm-2:30pm via MS Teams.

This is a pre-tender market engagement event to seek and share information to inform our commissioning intentions.

Tower Hamlets has one of the highest presentations of mental ill-health in the country with an above national average number of people living with serious mental illness.

We would be interested in meeting suppliers who do or could supply mental health supported living services, details of our commissioning intentions given below.

It is anticipated that newly commissioned services would commence April 2024 following a competitive tender process commencing at the end of October 2023.

The objectives of this virtual market engagement event are to:
• Provide an overview of the intended service model and options being considered
• Help us refine the specification by receiving feedback from potential suppliers
• Help us understand the level of market interest in the service(s)
• Provide potential suppliers an opportunity to ask us questions

To register your interest in attending this event, please use the Proactis Portal messaging system and email the council (details given below) so that an MS Teams invite can be sent to you. Please note that we are limiting attendance to a maximum of two attendees per organisation.

Background
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is seeking to re-procure three mental health supported living services located within the borough to provide support to residents unable to live independently as a result of poor mental health.

These settings are intended for service users with mental ill-health who may have had a significant admission to institutional care under The Mental Health Act. The proposed services aim to offer a viable alternative to residential care settings, delivering support relating to tenancy management, activities of daily living, mental health recovery and any wider support needs such as substance misuse or involvement with the criminal justice system.

This contract is intended for service users with a mental ill-health that have been subject to a Care Act Assessment upon admission to institutional care (e.g. hospitals). The services will provide support that is tailored and flexible and in accordance with individual’s needs, with an emphasis on supporting the transition for service users with strong focus on helping them in their journey towards recovery and independence.

Service users may have a forensic history, including those subject to section 41 of the mental health act, MAPPA clients and those with serious mental illness or dual diagnosis- substance misuse and mental health issues. The service may be required to work with individuals who have dual diagnosis whereby the neighbourhood mental health teams are trying to support them to maintain their tenancy.

Service users may also present needs including becoming at risk of eviction or homelessness, hoarding or environmental management difficulties, increased risk of exploitation, debt or financial management challenges, physical ill-health or mobility needs.

The mental health supported living pathway in Tower Hamlets is commissioned to offer two distinct functions; high support and step-down. High support services have staff on site 24/7, who deliver an average of 8 hours of direct support per resident each week. High support services have a single point of access monitored by staff with residents residing in self-contained units. Step-down services are typically located within 5 minutes’ walk of high support site. These building include individually accessed self-contained flats and do not have a staff presence on site. Support is delivered by the high-support staff team visiting step-down units or residents within step-down units visiting the high support service.

Residents will typically access high support services following hospitalisation for their mental ill-health and will move on to step-down following a sustained period of recovery and basic tenancy management skills. The step-down function allows residents to move on whilst accessing support as needed before departing into a more independent living setting such as general needs housing.

The Local Authority is seeking to procure three supported living contracts;
- Lot 1 – known locally as Huddleston Close and Grand Union Place offering 11 high support units and 8 step-down units.
- Lot 2 – known locally as Teresa House and Hamlets Way offering 32 high support units; 16 at each site.
- Lot 3 – known locally as Cannon Street Road offering 20 high support units.

Successful provider/s will be required to deliver support services to service users that will enable them to develop the life skills required to maintain their independence within the community thus preventing unnecessary use of more institutional forms of care and hospital admissions.