--- title: "National Helpline for NHS staff" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-02ff48" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-02ff48" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02ff48.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02ff48.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "NHS ENGLAND" published: "2021-12-13" --- # National Helpline for NHS staff Buyer: NHS ENGLAND Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-02ff48 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-02ff48) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02ff48.json) ## Summary NHS England is seeking bids for a contract to operate the "National Helpline for NHS staff." This service aims to provide psychological support to health and care workers throughout the UK during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The procurement process is currently in the planning stage, with an estimated contract value of £18 million. Interested parties must submit their Expressions of Interest by 5pm on 16 December 2021, and the planned 12-month contract could potentially be extended for a further two years based on performance and budget approval. This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in mental health services, counselling, and psychological support. Companies capable of delivering a 7-day service, with trained crisis support workers and clinical support if necessary, would be well-positioned to compete. The need for enhanced emotional support for NHS staff has been emphasised by the ongoing pressure exerted by the pandemic, making this an ideal time for service providers in the health industry to engage with this vital contract. ## Notice The requirement is for a staff support helpline, to continue to provide a psychological support offer for all NHS staff. This will aim to be a service provided for all staff during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and beyond. The service is provided for all health and care workers across the country. Currently the helpline has experienced over 14,000 contacts directly. ### Lot Information Lot 1 The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need of establishing a suitable health and wellbeing offer for all our staff. As a result, we have operated a national staff support helpline since April 2020, to support our NHS staff who are under enormous pressure every day. The NHS staff helpline was also a key recommendation of the NHS Staff and Learners' Mental Wellbeing Commission report in 2019: 'A national NHS helpline service should be developed with the aim of providing a complete emotional support service to NHS staff and those learning in the NHS'. Common themes that have emerged on the helpline in the past 18 months, that we want to continue supporting our staff with include - * Concerns about the workplace or study * Mental health issues / concerns * COVID-19 concerns * Family issues * Isolation/loneliness * Physical health/illness * Relationship problems The helpline is also identifying to a lesser extent, concerns relating to: * Bereavement * Violence/abuse * Finance/unemployment * Drug and/or alcohol misuse * Bereaved by suicide The requirement is for a staff support helpline, to continue to provide a psychological support offer for all NHS staff. This will aim to be a service provided for all staff during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and beyond. The service is provided for all health and care workers across the country. Currently the helpline has experienced over 14,000 contacts directly. The support line will offer NHS staff the opportunity to converse with trained crisis support workers, and if required, qualified clinical support where needed. The requirement will be to run a 7-day service, that can operate nationally, and is able to cater to all groups and demographics. The service will need to operate at the least, between 7:00am-11:00pm daily. This will need to be set up and delivered at a relatively fast pace, to enable a continuation in service for our workforce. There is a clinical risk attached to the necessity to keep the service continuous for our users, and therefore a gap in service will not be acceptable (a short period of transition between an old supplier and a new one can be agreed however). Additionally, the supplier should be able to provide anonymized and vital data, to the commissioning organisation, to provide further understanding of emerging concerns and issues related to the health and wellbeing of our workforce. The content, structure and delivery of the reports should be opened to change depending on the requirements of the commissioning organisation. This will also conclude in an evaluation piece that will need to be carried out at intervals throughout the year. This will involve working with our evaluation lead to explore and deliver report/s through qualitive evaluation methods, such as interviews with users, to gain an in-depth understanding of helpline usage by staff. Finally, the supplier should be able to provide some expertise and resource in supporting communications and marketing, to raise awareness of the helpline. Pre-market Engagement NHS England & Improvement are currently undertaking an options appraisal and as part of this have issued a Notice to the market to gauge supplier interest and capability in relation to continuing the delivery of this service. NHS England & Improvement are aiming to enter into a 12-month contract with an approximate Year One value (12 months) of PS600,000 exclusive of applicable VAT. Dependent on budget and performance the contract may be extended for a further 2 years. Supplier Expressions of Interest Interested suppliers should read the details attached to the notice which specify further details about the requirement, how to register an interest in the possible procurement and the submission requirements for registering an interest. The deadline for submitting Expressions of Interest is 5pm on 16/12/2021 ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030914-2021 | | 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 | | All stages | Planning, Tender | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 13 Dec 2021 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 17 Jan 2022 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | Not specified | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £18,000,000 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Planned | | Lots status | Planned | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | NHS ENGLAND | | Locality | LEEDS | | Post town | Leeds | | Postcode | LS2 7UE | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLE Yorkshire and The Humber | | ITL 2 | TLE4 West Yorkshire | | ITL 3 | TLE42 Leeds | | Local authority | Leeds | | Electoral ward | Little London & Woodhouse | | Westminster constituency | Leeds Central and Headingley | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 85 - Health and social work services ### Codes - 85100000 - Health services - 85312300 - Guidance and counselling services - 85312320 - Counselling services ## Release History - 13 Dec 2021 at 10:40 - TenderUpdate - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030914-2021 - 9 Dec 2021 at 12:57 - Planning - Planning Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030673-2021 ## Notice URLs - http://health.atamis.co.uk - https://www.england.nhs.uk// ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-02ff48. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02ff48.json.