HPFT - Adult Acute Inpatient Service

Trust Overview Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) supports people with mental ill health, learning disabilities and autism across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Norfolk and Essex. HPFT ("The Authority") wishes to secure additional CQC registered adult acute mental health inpatient beds within the Hertfordshire region.

Service Overview The aim of this service is to provide additional adult (generally 18-65 with some older adults with functional mental health needs) acute mental health inpatient capacity through a flexible model that accommodates both male and female service users. This provision will supplement HPFT's existing inpatient capacity and align closely with the Trust's current inpatient offer, ensuring an inclusive, responsive, least restrictive and recovery focused service.

The service will deliver high-quality, therapeutic care that supports service users to achieve stability and return to their usual settings as soon as clinically appropriate. Providers are expected to maintain reasonable lengths of stay, proactively plan for discharge, and work collaboratively with community and crisis teams to enable timely transitions back into the community.

Providers must embed least restrictive principles into all care and treatment, ensuring that any use of enhanced observations is purposeful, person centered, and regularly reviewed. Routine oversight should be applied to any enhanced observation to ensure interventions remain proportionate, safe, and supportive. The service should be delivered in a manner that ensures value for money, balancing high-quality care with efficient use of resources.

This includes strong clinical governance, effective workforce management, and collaboration with HPFT to maximize outcomes for service users while maintaining cost-effectiveness. The additional capacity will be made available through a combination of block and spot purchase arrangements, providing flexibility to meet fluctuating demand and support local population needs.

Procurement: The Trust is issuing this Prior Information Notice (PIN) to engage with potential suppliers capable of delivering the service described in the attached documentation. The procurement process will be conducted in accordance with the Provider Selection Regime (PSR).

The Pre Market Engagement will run via the Atamis portal: https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome *Suppliers should register on the portal if not already registered. *To express an interest in this preliminary market engagement, search and select contract reference: C393861 HPFT - Adult Acute Inpatient Service. *Suppliers can contact the Atamis helpdesk at - support.health@atamis.co.uk or by calling 0800 9956035 for technical assistance.