NHS SY ICB - Crisis Text Line Service

Lots (1)

1. 01

   Lot 1Cancelled

   The decription of the service is:

   A high quality Crisis Text Service will provide timely, accessible, and effective support including a range of interventions tailored to meet the diverse needs of service users including:

   * Providing a clinically led service with Mental Health Practitioners undertaking the text based conversations.

   * Providing a service that caters to individuals across all age groups, ensuring that no one is excluded from accessing support.

   * Recognising that crisis can occur at any time and to anyone thus ensuring that the crisis text service operates 24/7, 365 days a year.

   * Offering the following range of support interventions to address the diverse needs of service users: Text based crisis intervention, emotional support, referrals to appropriate services, safety planning and risk formulation.

   * Ensuring appropriately qualified Mental Health Practitioners undertake comprehensive training that covers essential topics such as active listening, de-escalation techniques, suicide risk formulation, risk assessment and safety planning across all ages.

   * Ensuring clinical supervision and support for staff

   * Mental Health Practitioners completing training that addresses the diverse needs of all age groups and populations to ensure that all individuals receive culturally sensitive and inclusive support that meets their unique needs.

   * Integration with NHS 111 - Mental Health Option and signposting to local crisis services across South Yorkshire.

   * Providing South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board with quarterly Service Quality Performance Reports which detail the number of texters and conversations, escalations, day of the week, time of the day, topic of conversations, demographic breakdowns, and user satisfaction.

   * Providing ongoing support from a Partnership Manager, including marketing resources, quarterly review meetings, check-in calls, email support, contract review meeting and responses within 24 hours.

   * Being committed to working collaboratively with SYICB and other local partners to introduce more efficient and innovative ways of working.

   * Supporting with insight for local and targeted promotion across South Yorkshire.

   * Considering local feedback for service improvements.

   This notice is an intention to award a contract under the most suitable provider process.

   The approximate lifetime value of the service is PS765,000.

   The dates that the contract will run are 1/05/2025 to 30/04/2030.

   This is a new service with a new provider. Additional information: Mental Health Innovations have been deemed the Most Suitable Provider for the Crisis Text Line Service as they were the only Supplier who registered their interest, responded to the essential service criteria questionnaire, answering yes to all key questions.

   This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intention to award notice. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this award.

   The standstill period begins on the day after the publication of this notice. Representations by providers must be made to the relevant authority by 26/03/2025. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR.

   Key criteria 1. Quality and innovation - Weighting 40%

   SHOUT is the UK's only free, 24/7 text messaging support service, powered by mental health innovations The service is proven to reach new audiences who prefer to text and helps to take pressure off local crisis phone lines and face-to-face services. Using technology, Shout is accessible by communities across the length and breadth of the UK, reaching underserved populations who would not otherwise have a means of support.

   In Shout's five years of existence, they have scaled the service to take over 2,900,000 conversations with more than 900,000 children, young people and adults who have needed immediate mental health support. Conversations with Shout's clinically-led service are taken by mental health professionals, overseen by Clinical Supervisors and a 24/7 qualified safeguarding team.

   Commissioning Shout enables ICBs to deliver against NHSE advisory specifications for implementation of 24/7 crisis text message services, integrated with their local services, including 111 phone service provision.

   Implementation support

   * Ongoing support from Partnership Manager, including quarterly review meetings, check-in calls, email support, contract review meeting and responses within 24 hours.

   * Invite to Community of Practice Events and Quarterly clinical webinar for ongoing professional development and sharing key insights

   * Local signposts for local texters and 'How to' guide to help you get the best out of your keyword.

   * Mental Health Innovations lead or clinician to speak at one virtual event

   Data and clinical insights

   Bespoke keyword chosen by your organisation, or use of the 'SHOUT' keyword

   * Service KPIs to be provided on a monthly basis, based on your keyword, including number of texters and conversations, active rescues, day of the week, time of the day, topic of conversations and demographic breakdowns.

   * Detailed data and clinical insight report every six months including:

   o Demographic breakdowns (dependent on texters completing feedback survey).

   o Number of active rescues per month and breakdown of associated stages.

   o Most common conversation issues.

   o Number of conversations signposted to local services.

   o Conversation outcome details.

   o Where texters heard about the service.

   o A search for three agreed data or clinical topics with clinical insight and analysis.

   o Benchmarks of keyword specifics against two Shout datasets such as age or gender.

   o Texter feedback quotes directly related to your organisational keyword.

   Key criteria 2. Value - Weighting 20%

   HOUT statistics show 39% of conversations are related to suicide, 123,000 safety plans were co-created with texters who were at imminent risk of suicide and 1-2% of texter who were at imminent risk are referred to emergency services.

   55% of texters have no-one else to talk to and 38% have never spoken to anyone about their mental health before.

   Shout sees many individuals and demographics accessing the Shout service that do not use traditional mental health services, allowing ues to reach them before they get to crisis point and to de-escalate and safety plan.

   Only 19% of texters require an onwards signpost to another service, due to Shout clinicians being experts in de-escalating and safety planning over text. Of these 19%, this may include other national charities or local services provided to MHI through the South Yorkshire directory of services of up to 20 local services for the population.

   Key criteria 3. Integration, collaboration and service sustainability - Weighting 20%

   Benefits of the clinically-led service include:

   * Mental health professionals: to support texters in mental health crisis

   * Dedicated service: quicker response times in busy periods and the flexibility to swiftly increase staffing levels to meet demand

   * Integration with your 111 service: onward signposting to your keyword from 111 (option 2)

   * Integration with local services: direct signposting to up to five local services

   * Integration with local crisis helplines: direct signposting to local 111 24/7 helplines

   * Bespoke keyword: chosen by your organisation

   * Keyword information on the Shout platform: providing staff with context around the person they are supporting

   * Keyword marketing consultancy: materials and tools designed and created by marketing experts to help you promote your keyword

   * Keyword insight and trend reporting: anonymised insights and trends to help you understand the issues your keyword texters are facing

   Please see section VI.3.0.1 below for further details on the Key Criteria.