Provision of Mental Health Specialist Advisory Services and Support on behalf of Surrey and North East Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Groups

NHS Guildford and Waverley CCG (GWCCG) currently commission specialist support and advice for individuals with a diagnosed mental health illness across a number of localities in Surrey, with an annual value of circa £176K. The aims and objectives of the service are: • To improve the quality of life for adults with a mental health illness through access to a specialist service tailored to the client group, providing free, independent, confidential and impartial advice for people who due to their illness are inhibited from using general advisory services at that point in time. • Support, educate and raise awareness to ensure people with mental health problems are appropriately supported within 'mainstream' advisory services. • Obtain additional and appropriate benefits for the clients, to assist independence, support hospital discharge and support their recovery. • Manage and reduce the debt burden of clients with a mental illness. • Support resolution of housing or employment issues that may have a negative impact on their independence and mental well-being. • Raise local and national awareness of the types of problems encountered by clients of the service. • Reduce anxiety and stress by ensuring that clients that would benefit from advisory support are able to access an advisor, or supported to do so, prior to escalation of their issues having a detrimental effect on their mental health. The contracts are due to expire on 31st March 2018. GWCCG is undertaking a market engagement exercise to inform its approach to the re-commissioning of these services. The object of the exercise is to understand market willingness and capacity to bid to provide these services commencing from 1st April 2018. GWCCG reserves the right to use responses to this Market Engagement exercise to inform whether or not it chooses to undertake a competitive procurement for these services, or whether it will award the contract to the incumbent providers.