---
title: "Suffolk Night Owls"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-045361"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-045361"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-045361.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-045361.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "NHS SUFFOLK AND NORTH EAST ESSEX INTEGRATED CARE BOARD"
published: "2024-06-13"
---

# Suffolk Night Owls

Buyer: NHS SUFFOLK AND NORTH EAST ESSEX INTEGRATED CARE BOARD  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-045361

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## Summary

The NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board has awarded a contract titled "Suffolk Night Owls" for health services to Suffolk Mind. The contract is for a local emotional support helpline providing services 7 nights a week. The contract was formally awarded on 18th April 2024 and is expected to run from 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025. The expected value of the contract is £176,800 excluding VAT. The service is intended to cater to registered service users with complex needs, including those with Personality Disorders.

This tender presents business growth opportunities for companies in the health services sector, particularly those offering emotional support helpline services. Businesses providing services related to mental health support, crisis intervention, and helpline management could find this tender suitable for their expertise. The tender has already been awarded, offering potential suppliers insights into partnering with NHS organisations for delivering critical health services in the Suffolk and North East Essex region.

## Notice

A local 7 nights a week emotional support helpline for registered service users including via text and email for registered people with complex needs. This includes those with a diagnosis of Personality Disorder or who present with behaviours typical of such conditions. The service responds to requests to callbacks offering booked and timed appointments in-bound and outbound calls, and registered users can email and text. A twenty minute slot is allocated and where necessary the helpline staff will make onward professional referrals/contacts including safeguarding.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

A local 7 nights a week emotional support helpline for registered service users including via text and email for registered people with complex needs. This includes those with a diagnosis of Personality Disorder or who present with behaviours typical of such conditions. The service responds to requests to callbacks offering booked and timed appointments in-bound and outbound calls, and registered users can email and text. A twenty minute slot is allocated and where necessary the helpline staff will make onward professional referrals/contacts including safeguarding. * The service runs 7 nights a week from 6.30pm - 1.00am with calls being taken between 7.00pm and 1.00am. * The services offer time limited number of calls of approximately 20 minutes to offer support but with boundaries required for people with complex needs. * There are approximately 1300 people registered with 770 having not accessed the service to date with approx. 80 regular people in contact with the service. Some are in daily contact through to those with monthly contact. * The calls are RAG rated with the majority being amber rated, with a few being red rated. * Staff training includes: Helpline Training; Suicide prevention; Risk Assessment and Management; Safeguarding; KUF and MHFA. - Two trained helpline staff working from 6.30pm to 1.00am manning the incoming calls, ansaphone, emails and texts throughout the night. RAG rating and prioritising calls. - The staff on the helpline shall: * Support the client with their immediate crisis and assist them to develop strategies to deal with life events and gain insight regarding their mental wellbeing. * Suggest techniques for reducing anxiety and negative thoughts. * Focus on keeping the client safe and encouraging them to develop self-help strategies and resilience. * Signpost to the relevant service if deemed necessary when the call is ending, and the caller has not been de-escalated. * Call in the emergency services if required. The contract will last one year, and this will provide continuity of care for the registered clients. An external review will take place of all available services for clients to access, and alternative options or recommissioning will be considered based on the findings of the review. No extension has been planned for this service. NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board are awarding the contract named within this notice under the Direct Award C process which is outlined within the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. The provider named in this notice is an existing provider and has been reviewed through a Key Criteria assessment to ensure the awarding body is satisfied with current performance and reasonably expects the provider to be able to satisfy the contract which is the subject of this notice. The contract which is the subject of this notice has not changed considerably when compared with the existing / previous contract delivered by the named provider. The ICB may wish to introduce additional services during the lifetime of the contract ("Contract modifications"). Such contract modifications will be contemplated where additional requirements are similar and or complementary to the services already included in the Specification, at any given time. Such expansion would be by the addition of services commissioned by the Authority as named in the Contract Notice. To this end, after the award of contract, there is a possibility that the contract may be varied as allowable in accordance with the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023.

### Procurement Information

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 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this award. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period. Representations by providers must be made to decision makers by Midnight on the 1st May 2024 (8 working days following publication of intention to award notice). They should be submitted in writing to procurement@snee.nhs.uk. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR. Award decision makers: NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Executive Committee. No conflicts of interest, or potential conflicts of interest, were declared by any decision makers. SNEE ICB are assured that the provider is delivering value to the integrated care system and the cost of change would not be outweighed by the potential benefit of a new provider. The cost envelope for this service has not altered since 2019 and SNEE are assured by Suffolk Mind that they can continue for a further year with the same value (NHS equivalent inflationary uplift included). Client feedback has been evident and currently fills a gap in provision including assistance in reducing the use of higher acuity services. The current provider has delivered the service satisfactorily for several years, utilises employment of local people and has been sustainable and reliable.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/018326-2024 |
| Notice type | Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 13 Jun 2024 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 29 Jan 2024 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £176,800 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | NHS SUFFOLK AND NORTH EAST ESSEX INTEGRATED CARE BOARD |
| Locality | COLCHESTER |
| Post town | Colchester |
| Postcode | CO4 9QR |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLH East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLH3 Essex |
| ITL 3 | TLH34 Essex Haven Gateway |
| Local authority | Colchester |
| Electoral ward | Highwoods |
| Westminster constituency | Colchester |
| Delivery location | TLH14 Suffolk CC |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | SUFFOLK MIND |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 85100000 - Health services

## Release History

- 13 Jun 2024 at 12:13 - TenderUpdate - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/018326-2024
- 18 Apr 2024 at 13:53 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/012694-2024

## Notice URLs

- https://in-tendhost.co.uk/snee-icb/aspx/Home
- https://suffolkandnortheastessex.icb.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-045361. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-045361.json.