Suffolk Specialist Learning Support Service

The service provides specialist learning support assistants to children and young people ensuring that they can attend and receive education or receive support optimising rehabilitation to return to education at the earliest opportunity. The service is to support individuals in education and when appropriate in hospital, at home or in another residential setting where they meet the National Framework for Children & Young People's Continuing care criteria December 2016 or demonstrate clinical exceptionality and reliance upon technology for their survival.

The service delivers Health assessments to inform individualised healthcare plans in consultation with the Child's MDT. SpLSAs are trained and supervised by a qualified Children's Nurse to ensure skills and competencies.

The Section 75 agreement is for one year with no options to extend. 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 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.