CN240225 Relationships with Food

Kent County Council (KCC) is preparing to commission a new public health service titled Relationships with Food (RWF). This service will be procured under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023, which govern the procurement of health care services in England.

We are inviting providers to review the draft service specification and the draft Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and activity metrics for the RWF service and share their reflections and comments to help shape the opportunity and service we are looking to launch in Kent. The aim of the Relationships with Food (RWF) contract is to commission a service that supports families and postnatal women to build healthier, more positive relationships with food.

The contract seeks to address the underlying emotional, psychological, and social factors that influence eating behaviours—particularly where these are shaped by trauma, stress, or adverse experiences—rather than focusing solely on weight or dietary intake. Through this contract, the council intends to improve the emotional wellbeing and resilience of families and postnatal women, reduce the risk of long-term health conditions linked to unhealthy eating behaviours, support early intervention in communities, promote inclusive, non-stigmatising approaches to food and health, and equip the local workforce with the knowledge and tools to support families in a compassionate and trauma-informed way.

As part of this market engagement, we are offering short one-to-one appointments with interested providers. These sessions will provide an opportunity to share feedback on the draft specification and KPIs and activity metrics, reflect on the proposed delivery model and service design, and to help us ensure the final service is realistic, inclusive, and impactful.

To support the discussion, the Council will also supply a one-page summary of the draft key service headlines which will include some key questions which we would be interested to hear your feedback on. Please note that there is no obligation to respond to any or all of these questions although they might be useful to frame your thinking when considering feedback.

To register your interest in a one-to-one session with us and to access the draft specification and supporting documentation, please visit the Kent Business Portal and register your interest by 12pm on Friday 11 July 2025. The 30 minute one-to-one sessions to take place during the week commencing Monday 14 July 2025: www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk Available dates and times for the one-to-one sessions will be issued to providers which register an interest via the link above. Sessions will be offered on a ‘first-come-first served’ basis and are expected to last no more than 30 minutes per session.