Soft Market Testing for 0-19 Integrated Public Health Service

South Tyneside Council is conducting a Soft Market Testing Exercise (SMTE) in order to seek the market’s views on the 0-19 Integrated Public Health service.

The Borough of South Tyneside is considering redesigning its 0-19 Health Visiting and School Nursing provision. The 0-19 Service will provide leadership, co-ordination and delivery of the Healthy Child Programme in South Tyneside.

As an essential part of the Children’s Services ‘system’, it will make a major contribution to our Health and Wellbeing Plan’s Best Start in Life priorities by improving health and well-being outcomes for children and young people, ensuring each child has the best start, identifying additional needs early, building resilience and reducing health inequalities by providing effective universal and targeted interventions for children, young people and their parents.

The service will be underpinned by prevention and early intervention principles offered universally to every Family within the Borough.

The 0-19 Integrated Public Health Service will deliver new and innovative services and demonstrate best practice in partnership and multi-agency working which will include a strong interface with South Tyneside Family Hubs. It will actively seek to support families as well as individuals from birth, through school, and into adulthood. This support will be offered in family homes, schools and the wider community e.g. in family hubs.

The Authority may award a single contract to a single contractor for a period of 5 years although the Council reserves the right to extend the Contract on the same terms for a period of up to two years making a total possible Contract period of 7.
Or
The council may decide on 2 providers, one for 0–5, the other for 5-19 (up to 25 SEND) for a period of 5 years although the Council reserves the right to extend the Contract(s) on the same terms for a period of up to two years making a total possible Contract period of 7 years.

The service described in this specification will cover ALL local authority residents with children under 5 and all children and young people in attendance at one of the 62 schools and/or college within the Borough of South Tyneside. In addition, the service will cover all South Tyneside residents who are not in education or being educated through an alternative education provider or educated at home.