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8-bed female-only Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

17 Sep 2026 at 17:09

Planning Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust intends to procure an eight-bed, female-only Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit for adult women aged 18 and over with acute and severe mental illness requiring care beyond a standard acute mental health ward. The service will provide specialist 24-hour inpatient care across the Thames Valley, covering Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Its scope includes rapid assessment, intensive multidisciplinary treatment, enhanced observation, physical healthcare, psychological and trauma-informed interventions, recovery-focused care and active discharge planning. The aim is to support women with complex mental health needs in a therapeutic, gender-responsive environment, reduce out-of-area placements and enable timely step-down to less intensive services. This is a health service procurement.

The procurement is at the planning stage: the Trust has stated its intention to procure but has not issued an invitation to tender. It expects to use the Provider Selection Regime 2023, applying the Most Suitable Provider process. The estimated contract value is £5.3 million. The Trust’s intended approach requires providers to express interest by 17:00 on 2 October 2026, with a proposed future notice date of 13 November 2026. The service is expected to start no later than 1 December 2026. Providers will first be assessed against pass/fail basic selection criteria, followed by ranked assessment of quality and innovation, integration and sustainability, access and health inequalities, value, and social value.

This will suit providers experienced in operating secure or intensive adult mental health inpatient services, particularly female-only PICU models. Preparation should cover an appropriate therapeutic environment, safeguarding arrangements and staffing skill mix, including enhanced observation for up to 30 days where clinically indicated and contractually agreed. The provider is likely to need appropriate Care Quality Commission registration and regulatory standing, with systems covering the Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, medicines management, rapid tranquillisation, restrictive practice and physical healthcare. Strong clinical governance, incident reporting, safeguarding escalation, patient safety learning and serious incident management will be important. Providers should also be able to integrate with local care pathways, demonstrate collaboration and sustainability, report monthly quality data and exceptions, attend commissioner-led reviews, and evidence improved outcomes, safety, experience and discharge performance.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

8-bed female-only Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)

Notice Description

The service required is an 8-bed female-only Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) providing specialist 24-hour inpatient care for adult women (18+) experiencing acute and severe mental illness whose level of risk, behavioural disturbance, or clinical acuity cannot be safely managed within a standard acute mental health ward. The service will serve patients across the Thames Valley footprint and provide rapid assessment, intensive multidisciplinary treatment, enhanced observation, physical healthcare, psychological and trauma-informed interventions, and active discharge planning from admission.<br/>The service must deliver safe, gender-responsive, recovery-focused care within a therapeutic environment, supporting women with complex mental health needs while reducing reliance on out-of-area placements. The provider will be required to demonstrate robust clinical governance, appropriate staffing and skill mix, effective pathway integration, and measurable improvements in patient outcomes, safety, experience, and timely step-down to less intensive services

Lot Information

Lot 1

This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) Intended Approach 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 23 do not apply to this contract.
This Intended Approach Notice is being published in line with Regulation 10 - under The Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime - PSR) Regulations 2023. (The Most Suitable Provider Process) is being used to commission this service.
This will be published for at least 14 calendar days as per the requirements of the Provider Selection Regime 2023.
This is to enable providers to approach the Trust and express their interest in being considered as the 'most suitable provider'. Deadline for expression of interest is 17:00 Friday 2/10/2026. Additional information: The successful MSP will have to satisfy the Basic Selection Criteria and demonstrate how they meet the Key Criteria as listed within this notice.
The Authority will select the MSP based on the following stages:
1) The Provider will have to satisfy the Basic Selection Criteria in accordance with regulation 19 of the PSR
Suitability (Paas/Fail)
* Ability to provide a female-only adult PICU model with appropriate environmental, staffing and safeguarding arrangement with potential start of no later than 1st December 2026.
* Provision to be within the Thames Valley footprint, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire to support patients and their families to access care within a maximum of a 30-mile radius from their NHS inpatient healthcare base and care teams.
* CQC registration and regulatory status appropriate to the proposed service.
* Compliance with Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, safeguarding, medicines management, rapid tranquillisation, restrictive practice and physical healthcare requirements.
* Ability to provide safe staffing, including enhanced observation capacity for up to 30 days where clinically indicated and agreed through the contractual mechanism.
* Agreement to provide the full contract quality schedule, monthly dashboard, narrative exception reporting and participation in commissioner-led quality review meetings.
* Evidence of robust clinical governance, incident reporting, safeguarding escalation, patient safety learning and serious incident management arrangements.
2) The Authority will then assess providers who satisfy the Basic Selection Criteria against the Key Criteria as set out below to determine the MSP.
The criteria are ranked in priority order:-
Quality and Innovation
Integration, collaboration, and service sustainability
Improving access, reducing health inequalities and facilitating choice value
Value
Social Value

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0774dc
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/088426-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Planning Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

85100000 - Health services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£5,300,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
17 Sep 20264 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
13 Nov 20262 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planned
Lots Status
Planned
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
OXFORD
Postcode
OX4 4XN
Postcode Area
Oxford
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ14 Oxfordshire CC
Delivery Location
TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
Local Authority
Oxford
Electoral Ward
Littlemore
Westminster Constituency
Oxford East

Further Information

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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