Reducing Loneliness and Isolation

Swindon Reducing Loneliness and Isolation Service Swindon Borough Council invites expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced service providers for the provision of the Swindon 'Reducing Loneliness and Isolation Service'. Swindon Borough Council has reviewed its needs in relation to this service and this has resulted in some changes to the Council's tendering requirements.

Consequently, the Council has decided to abandon the procedure, first advertised on 23rd March 2017. This tender therefore presents a new opportunity to bid for the delivery of Reducing Loneliness and Isolation Services in Swindon.

In order to enable more people to live in their own homes and delay the escalation of care needs that present demand on adult social care, Swindon Borough Council is looking to develop support for people who are lonely and/or isolated. Swindon Borough Council (SBC) and Swindon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) face considerable challenges in continuing to improve the lives of people locally with an ageing population and limited financial resources.

SBC and Swindon CCG's approach is to prioritise preventative work which concentrates on promoting independence and choice for individuals and to use the skills and capacity of the wider community and voluntary sectors to support people. Preventative services are prioritised around supporting vulnerable people, reducing inequalities and promoting health, wellbeing and independence.

The purpose of this contract is to allow people to remain within their own home and continue to live independently with the support of community volunteers. Our model is focused on recruiting, supporting and matching volunteers with people who are older and/or experiencing social isolation.

We will expect the contractor to recruit, train and supervise volunteers and to have in place a set of quality standards to monitor the work carried out. We aim to target the service at those people most at risk of losing their independence and we will expect the contractor to be able to identify those people through working in partnership with other appropriate organisations.

The service should be offered to any adult who is or is at risk of becoming lonely and/or isolated, which is likely to then increase their risk of developing or escalating care needs. We expect the service to therefore target particular cohorts of people.

Full details relating to the Services are provided in the tender documents. Contract Period The contract will be initially for a period of three years commencing 1st September 2017 with the option to extend for a further two years subject to satisfactory performance and budget availability. The relevant tender documents are available at the URL www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.