The Provision of a Mental Health Crisis Text Support Service on behalf of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside is seeking to engage with the market regarding the provision of an all-age, 24-hour, 7 days a week/ 365 days a year Mental Health Crisis Text Service across Cheshire and Merseyside. The service will provide immediate, accessible and inclusive text-based support for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis and will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The service is intended to be fully integrated with NHS 111 (Mental Health Option) and local crisis response pathways, ensuring seamless access to urgent mental health support and onward referral where required. The service has been developed in line with NHS England guidance on urgent and emergency mental health care and supports the objectives of the NHS Long Term Plan, the Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery Plan, and national suicide prevention priorities.

It aims to improve access to crisis support for people who may experience barriers to traditional services, including those affected by stigma, communication difficulties, disability, sensory needs, or geographical isolation across the region's diverse urban and rural communities. This notice is intended to inform the market of the Authority's future procurement intentions and support engagement with potential providers.

The term of the contract is 2 years plus a potential 1 year extension. The total contract value over the 2 years plus the potential 1 year extension will be a maximum total contract value calculated as £900,000

The Authority is seeking to engage with the market in advance of a potential procurement for the provision of an all-age Mental Health Crisis Text Service across Cheshire and Merseyside, operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The service will provide immediate text-based support for individuals experiencing mental health distress or crisis, including assessment, de-escalation, safety planning, signposting and referral into appropriate local crisis and urgent mental health services.

The service must be accessible, inclusive and responsive to the needs of diverse populations, including individuals who may face barriers to accessing traditional telephone or face-to-face support. The service will be required to integrate effectively with NHS 111 (Mental Health Option), local crisis pathways and other relevant health and care services across Cheshire and Merseyside, supporting timely access to urgent mental health care and helping to reduce avoidable presentations to emergency and acute services.

Through this market engagement exercise, the Authority is seeking feedback from potential providers on service delivery models, operational requirements, integration considerations, affordability, capacity and capability, and any opportunities for innovation. Information gathered will help inform the development of the service specification and procurement strategy.

All market engagement documentation and supporting materials will be made available via SAP Ariba. Once this has been completed, you will be able to access and download the MEQ documents.

This procurement requirement falls within the scope of the Provider Selection Regime (PSR), as introduced under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. Accordingly, any subsequent procurement process will be conducted in accordance with the applicable PSR regulations and guidance. This market engagement exercise is being undertaken to inform the commissioning approach, understand market capability and capacity, and gather information from potential providers prior to making any procurement decision.