The Provision of a Mental Health Crisis Text Support Service on behalf of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board

Tender description

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside is seeking to engage with the market regarding the provision of an all-age, 24-hour, 7 days a week/ 365 days a year Mental Health Crisis Text Service across Cheshire and Merseyside. The service will provide immediate, accessible and inclusive text-based support for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis and will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The service is intended to be fully integrated with NHS 111 (Mental Health Option) and local crisis response pathways, ensuring seamless access to urgent mental health support and onward referral where required. The service has been developed in line with NHS England guidance on urgent and emergency mental health care and supports the objectives of the NHS Long Term Plan, the Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery Plan, and national suicide prevention priorities. It aims to improve access to crisis support for people who may experience barriers to traditional services, including those affected by stigma, communication difficulties, disability, sensory needs, or geographical isolation across the region's diverse urban and rural communities. The term of the contract is 2 years, with the option to extend for 2 further periods of up to one year each. The extension options are not guaranteed and will be subject to ongoing service requirements, satisfactory performance, available funding and approval by the Authority. The maximum total contract value, including both potential extensions, is £1,400,000 ex VAT. The ITT deadline date is set as 12pm 4th December 2026, the opportunity can be found within the following link https://portal.us.bn.cloud.ariba.com/dashboard/public/appext/comsapsbncdiscoveryui#/RfxEvent/preview/1110030967?anId=ANONYMOUS Lot 1: This procurement requirement falls within the scope of the Provider Selection Regime (PSR), as provided under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. Accordingly, any subsequent procurement process will be conducted in accordance with the applicable PSR regulations and guidance. This market engagement exercise is being undertaken to inform the commissioning approach, understand market capability and capacity, and gather information from potential providers prior to making any procurement decision.