---
title: "North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust Out of Area Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Placement Reference Number LD/RB41"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-069872"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-069872"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-069872.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-069872.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE COMBINED HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST"
published: "2026-05-14"
---

# North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust Out of Area Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Placement Reference Number LD/RB41

Buyer: NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE COMBINED HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-069872

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-069872)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-069872.json)

## Summary

The North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust has completed the awarding of a contract for a Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) placement. The procurement falls under the Health Care Services Provider Selection Regime (PSR) Regulations 2023, and is exempt from the Procurement Act 2023. The contract, valued at £30,268, started on 30th April 2026 and was awarded via Direct Award process B, a procedure without prior competition. Located in Trentham, this contract is for specialised psychiatric hospital services, specifically for intensive inpatient mental health care. The Trust previously used spot purchasing through the Integrated Care Board for such services, but now handles the arrangement directly due to a time-sensitive need and limited availability of providers.

This tender offers significant growth opportunities for businesses involved in providing acute psychiatric care services, especially those capable of delivering highly specialised PICU services. As the Trust did not restrict the number of providers initially contacted and surveyed all known providers, this underscores the limited national availability of such specialised psychiatric services. Companies with established capabilities in providing comprehensive mental health care and those who can respond promptly to urgent service requests may find favourable opportunities in this procurement environment. The involvement of Cygnet Appletree, a large-scale supplier, highlights the level of expertise required to successfully fulfil this contract.

## Notice

The Service is for specialised Psychiatric care for a named patient. Psychiatric Intensive Care Units (PICU) are specialist wards that provide inpatient mental health care, assessment and comprehensive treatment to individuals who are experiencing the most acutely disturbed phase of a serious mental disorder. The Contract has been awarded following the Direct Award process B, at PS1,081.00 per day for a nominal period of 4 weeks, as the exact duration is unknown. The patient would be reviewed daily, Monday-Friday and would be re-patriated where clinically appropriate. The estimated total cost is PS30,268.00 from 30th April 2026 to an unknown date. The Trust had a spot purchasing arrangement with this provider in the past, and this is a continuation of that service for a new placement, now coming directly through the Trust, whereas previously it sat under the Integrated Care Board (ICB). The contract is new as the Trust is placing the contract directly, but the arrangements have been previously in place under spot purchasing via the ICB.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

This Contract Award notice is placed under the Healthcare Services Provider Selection Regime (PSR) Regulations 2023 Regulation 8 for Direct Award Process B, where the Trust is awarding this contract having conducted spot purchasing analysis and concluded that this is the only available option. The Trust has a choice of providers and is not seeking to restrict the number of providers. The Service is for specialised Psychiatric care for a named patient. Psychiatric Intensive Care Units (PICU) are specialist wards that provide inpatient mental health care, assessment and comprehensive treatment to individuals who are experiencing the most acutely disturbed phase of a serious mental disorder. The Contract has been awarded following the Direct Award process B, at PS1,081.00 per day for a nominal period of 4 weeks, as the exact duration is unknown. The patient would be reviewed daily, Monday- Friday and would be re-patriated where clinically appropriate. The estimated total cost is PS30,268.00 from 30th April 2026 to an unknown date. The Trust had a spot purchasing arrangement with this provider in the past, and this is a continuation of that service for a new placement, now coming through the Trust, whereas previously it sat under the ICB. There were no alternative placements identified within the required timeframe. The patient has no legal right to choose, but the Trust does not want to restrict the number of providers. This is a highly specialised psychiatric service with limited availability nationally. All known providers were contacted to ascertain whether they could provide the required service; only this provider responded in the required timeframe.

Options: The placement will be reviewed weekly, and extended subject to the ongoing needs of the patient.

### Procurement Information

The service is Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) inpatient beds. Psychiatric Intensive Care Units (PICU) are specialist wards that provide inpatient mental health care, assessment and comprehensive treatment to individuals who are experiencing the most acutely disturbed phase of a serious mental disorder. The contract has been awarded following the Direct Award process B, at PS1,081.00 per day for a nominal period of 4 weeks, as the duration is unknown. The patient would be reviewed daily, Monday-Friday and would be repatriated where clinically appropriate. The estimated total cost is PS30,268.00 from 30th April 2026 to an unknown date. The Trust had a spot purchasing arrangement with this provider in the past, and this is a continuation of that service for a new placement, now coming through the Trust, whereas previously it sat under the ICB. There were no alternative placements identified within the required timeframe. The patient has no legal right to choose, but the Trust does not want to restrict the number of providers. This is a highly specialised psychiatric service with limited availability nationally. All known providers were contacted to ascertain whether they could provide the required service; only this provider responded in the required timeframe.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/044243-2026 |
| Notice type | Award 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 | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 14 May 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 29 Apr 2026 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £30,268 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE COMBINED HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST |
| Locality | TRENTHAM |
| Post town | Stoke-on-Trent |
| Postcode | ST4 8HH |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLG West Midlands (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLG2 Shropshire and Staffordshire |
| ITL 3 | TLG23 Stoke-on-Trent |
| Local authority | Stoke-on-Trent |
| Electoral ward | Hanford, Newstead & Trentham |
| Westminster constituency | Stoke-on-Trent South |
| Delivery location | TLC14 Durham |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | CYGNET APPLETREE |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 85111500 - Psychiatric hospital services

## Release History

- 14 May 2026 at 09:12 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/044243-2026

## Notice URLs

- https://www.combined.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-069872. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-069872.json.