---
title: "Community Connector Roles within the Mental Health Integrated Community Service (MHICS) Teams in East Berkshire"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-034e7e"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-034e7e"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-034e7e.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-034e7e.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "FRIMLEY HEALTH AND CARE INTEGRATED CARE BOARD (ICB)"
published: "2022-12-21"
---

# Community Connector Roles within the Mental Health Integrated Community Service (MHICS) Teams in East Berkshire

Buyer: FRIMLEY HEALTH AND CARE INTEGRATED CARE BOARD (ICB)  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-034e7e

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## Summary

The Frimley Health and Care Integrated Care Board (ICB) has completed the procurement process for procuring Community Connector roles within the Mental Health Integrated Community Service (MHICS) Teams in East Berkshire. The tender, titled "Community Connector Roles within the MHICS Teams in East Berkshire," falls under the health services category. The procurement method used was an Open procedure, with a focus on identifying the Most Economically Advantageous Tender. The contracting authority aimed to commission these roles transparently, treating all bidders equally. The deadline for lodging appeals was set in accordance with Regulations 87 and 91 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. The procurement stage has concluded with a contract awarded to Buckinghamshire Association for Mental Health (trading as Buckinghamshire Mind) with a contract value of £825,754 for the initial 2-year term.

This tender presents an opportunity for businesses interested in providing healthcare services related to mental health in East Berkshire to grow their operations. Businesses offering services such as psychoeducational support, emotional and socio-economic needs assessment, and engagement with local resources can find a suitable niche in this procurement. The procurement process was conducted in compliance with the Light Touch Regime outlined in the Regulations, providing flexibility to interested parties. The tender emphasises a commitment to supporting mental health needs in the community through the provision of qualified Community Connectors within MHICS Teams. With additional roles potentially required in the near future, businesses catering to mental health services are well-positioned to contribute to the transformation of mental health support in East Berkshire.

## Notice

Frimley Health and Care ICB (the Commissioner) sought to commission Community Connector roles within the MHICS Teams across East Berkshire. Adverts were placed on Contracts Finder and the Find a Tender Service and an Invitation to Tender (ITT) process, based on the Open procedure, was undertaken during summer / autumn 2022 to identify the Most Economically Advantageous Tender and therefore determine the incoming provider. In 2019, the ICB was successfully awarded funding to be one of 12 national early implementer sites to deliver Community Mental Health (CMH) transformation. This has enabled the design and implementation of integrated primary and community mental health care for adults and older adults with Significant Mental Illness (SMI), built around Primary Care Networks (PCNs), so that more patients with SMI are effectively supported in primary care. As part of the ICS-wide CMH transformation programme, there will be a total of 9 MHICS Teams, covering the 10 PCNs across East Berkshire. MHICS offers a service to patients in primary care with significant mental health difficulties who have not met the criteria for, or whose needs are not met by existing primary and secondary care mental health services. Flow into the MHICS service is mainly from primary care, but also for patients stepping down from secondary care and will continue to evolve as part of the One Team approach as the programme continues to transform the way people with mental health needs are supported in their communities. The Community Connectors will form part of the core MHICS team (minimum 1 WTE Community Connector per team). This procurement has been carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioners. The project reference number for this opportunity is C87115, (previously WA12808).

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Frimley Health and Care ICB (the Commissioner) sought to commission Community Connector roles within the MHICS Teams across East Berkshire. Adverts were placed on Contracts Finder and the Find a Tender Service and an Invitation to Tender (ITT) process, based on the Open procedure, was undertaken during summer / autumn 2022 to identify the Most Economically Advantageous Tender and therefore determine the incoming provider. In 2019, the ICB was successfully awarded funding to be one of 12 national early implementer sites to deliver Community Mental Health (CMH) transformation. This has enabled the design and implementation of integrated primary and community mental health care for adults and older adults with Significant Mental Illness (SMI), built around Primary Care Networks (PCNs), so that more patients with SMI are effectively supported in primary care. As part of the ICS-wide CMH transformation programme, there will be a total of 9 MHICS Teams, covering the 10 PCNs across East Berkshire. MHICS offers a service to patients in primary care with significant mental health difficulties who have not met the criteria for, or whose needs are not met by existing primary and secondary care mental health services. Flow into the MHICS service is mainly from primary care, but also for patients stepping down from secondary care and will continue to evolve as part of the One Team approach as the programme continues to transform the way people with mental health needs are supported in their communities. The Community Connectors will form part of the core MHICS team (minimum 1 WTE Community Connector per team), and their role will include: * Help identify psychoeducational, emotional, socio-economic needs that impact on mental wellbeing through direct 1:1 work with MHICS clients, and use this understanding to support engagement and access to appropriate local and community resources * Actively link, develop and bridge out to the infrastructure of VCSE support services across East Berkshire to offer: - Earlier intervention - Longer appointment time - Practical support and help - Guided self-help resources - Follow ups and ongoing support - Onward bridging where needed - Links with community resources - Particular links into Wellbeing Services and Carer Support * In line with a client's goals and needs, brief psychoeducation/psychosocial approaches may be employed, which, when within their competency, may be delivered by Community Connectors and/or jointly with the Mental Health Practitioners. The Contract will be for an initial term of 2 years, with an option to extend for any period up to a further 24 months. The Contract is due to commence 1st January 2023. The Contract has been awarded to Buckinghamshire Association for Mental Health (t/a Buckinghamshire MIND). The contract value for the initial 2 year contract term is PS825,754. There is potential for 2 additional Community Connector roles being required to cover a new Community Rehabilitation Enhanced Service Team (CREST) being established by Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in 2022/2023. If the additional roles are required, the contract may be varied to include this additional provision at an estimated financial value of PS92,700 per annum. This procurement has been carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioners. The project reference number for this opportunity is C87115, (previously WA12808). Additional information: The services are healthcare services falling within Schedule 3 to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 ("the Regulations") which are not subject to the full regime of the Regulations, but are instead governed by the "Light Touch Regime" contained within Chapter 3, Section 7 of the Regulations (Regulations 74 to 77).

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/036247-2022 |
| Notice type | Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 21 Dec 2022 |
| Submission deadline | 8 Aug 2022 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 19 Dec 2022 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £1,745,200 |
| Lots value | £1,745,200 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £825,754 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Active |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | FRIMLEY HEALTH AND CARE INTEGRATED CARE BOARD (ICB) |
| Locality | ALDERSHOT |
| Post town | Guildford |
| Postcode | GU11 1AY |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ3 Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| ITL 3 | TLJ37 North Hampshire |
| Local authority | Rushmoor |
| Electoral ward | Wellington |
| Westminster constituency | Aldershot |
| Delivery location | TLJ11 Berkshire |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | BUCKINGHAMSHIRE ASSOCIATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH - TRADING AS BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MIND |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 85100000 - Health services

## Release History

- 21 Dec 2022 at 15:47 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/036247-2022
- 5 Jul 2022 at 15:06 - TenderUpdate - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/018394-2022
- 5 Jul 2022 at 14:51 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/018390-2022

## Notice URLs

- https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome
- https://www.frimley.icb.nhs.uk/

## Provenance

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