Suicide Prevention, Intervention and Prevention Service

Description

MGP supports Psychiatry Liaison, HTT and Crisis lines across the CWP footprint for people who are experiencing suicidal crisis and would benefit from non-clinical suicide interventions. Those patients who are appropriate to access MGP are identified and referred by CWP. Once the referral has been received by MGP, a dedicated Suicide Intervention Worker makes contact within 24 hours and a plan is created upon first contact to support immediate safety from suicide until a face-to-face appointment is attended. As soon as the individual rejects suicide indefinitely, they are moved forward to post intervention, so there is flow through the pathway. This contract was first commissioned in Wirral (February 2022) before being expanded to cover the Cheshire East and West patch in April 2024. It is therefore a well-established service, with well-established pathways. Service evaluations have demonstrated that the pathway is effective at reducing demand for CWP First Response (FR) and Acute services. The service supports a vast amount of people across the patch (e.g. 1500 referrals from Jan-Dec 2025) and is effective at reducing re-attendance rates and provides excellent value for money (VFM). A break in service would be detrimental to CWP First Response pathways and patients, as this pathway supports many individuals in suicidal crisis and keeps people safe from harm. Regular contract meetings are established. No service delivery issues, concerns re. meeting KPIs or risks have been raised throughout the duration of this contract. Lot 1: Provider suitability: Martin Gallier Project (MGP) offers nonclinical support to individuals (16+) experiencing suicidal crisis across the CWP footprint. MGP provides support to First Response CWP teams across the footprint (mainly Psychiatry Liaison, Home Treatment Teams (HTT) and Crisis Lines). These teams experience a very high demand for services. The MGP was formally commissioned in February 2022 to cover the Wirral patch. In April 2024, the contract was expanded to cover Chester, Crewe & Macclesfield. The service has been through several evaluations, led by CWP staff, the latest being in January 2026 whereby the outcomes of the service were discussed as part of a governance meeting. The CWP staff present in this meeting included operational, clinical and leadership colleagues who all agreed that the service should continue under the same provider due to activity, outcomes and value for money elicited from the pathway. CWP want to maintain consistency and expertise of staff alongside the referral pathways and relationships that have been developed to help keep people safe from suicide. MGP is the only suicide intervention, prevention and postvention service in the Northwest of England. Authorisation/Member of a particular organisation: MGP is an independent, locally based, registered CIC responsible for its own management, governance, and securing funding. Martin Gallier sits on the APPG (All Part Parliamentary Group) to influence decision making re. suicide support. Technical & professional ability: All staff who provide patient support as part of this pathway are trained in ASIST which is nonclinical suicide intervention approach, endorsed by WHO (please see Quality & Innovation narrative for more information on ASIST). , ASIST has been CPD certified (Continuing Professional Development) and is recognised as suitable for professional development. A key feature of ASIST is the focus on PAL Model: PAL provides a structured, practical framework that guides helpers through a suicide intervention. During ASIST, participants learn to use PAL to: • Recognise invitations and signs of suicide risk • Explore the person's reasons for living and dying • Directly ask about suicide and acknowledge risk • Collaboratively develop a safe plan • Reduce immediate risk and strengthen protective factors • Link the person to ongoing support 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 Procurement Act 2023 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 decision makers by 25th March 2026 to cwp.contracts@nhs.net. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR. There has been no substantial change to the nature or cost of the service delivered. The existing provider is satisfying the original contract and will likely satisfy the proposed contract to a sufficient standard" with the weighting 100 Approximate Lifetime Value of the Contract - £93,750 The Service is intended to be provided; 01/04/2026 to 30/06/2026