New children’s mental health contracts announced in Lancashire and South Cumbria

NHS

Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) has awarded new contracts to four providers to deliver children and young people’s mental health and emotional wellbeing services.

In September 2023, the ICB invited providers to bid for the following contracts as part of a competitive tender process: 

1. THRIVE getting help, therapeutic one-to-one and counselling support  
2. Peer support 
3. Parenting support 
4. ADHD support 
5. Digital support 

There were 20 contracts in total which providers could bid for. The first three services had six contracts each, covering Blackpool, Blackburn with Darwen, South Cumbria, Lancashire East, Lancashire Central and Lancashire North. Meanwhile, the ADHD and digital support services were both a single contract covering the whole of Lancashire and South Cumbria. 

Following a robust evaluation and moderating process, the successful providers were: 

• Barnardo’s – who will deliver THRIVE getting help, therapeutic one-to-one and counselling support across all six contracts.  
• Spring North – who will deliver peer support and parenting support across all 12 contracts.  
• ADHD North West – who will deliver the ADHD support. 
• Kooth – who will deliver the digital support. 

The one-year digital support contract, which has an option to extend for a further year, will go live from 1 April 2024.

The remaining contracts, which are two years 11 months in length, with an option to extend for a further two years, will go live from 1 May 2024. 

The ICB is now working with the existing and new providers to ensure a smooth transition of services. 

Lesley Tiffen, NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB’s associate director for mental health – planned care, said: “Over the past few months, we have gone through a rigorous procurement process, and I would like to thank all the providers who submitted a bid. We are confident the successful providers will deliver a high standard of service to those children and young people, and their parents and carers, who require mental health and emotional wellbeing support in Lancashire and South Cumbria. 
 
“As an ICB, we have been able to increase investment into these services and standardise service specifications so that more children, young people and families can access the same evidenced based support across Lancashire and South Cumbria. This will help us to reduce variation across the region and create more stable services due to longer term contracts and funding commitments. We hope this will also mean greater retention of workforce skills and experience. 

“The principles set out in the new service specifications were developed with young people, parents and carers and we will continue to make sure they’re at the heart of everything we do.”

Find out more about the procurement, the new services and the THRIVE framework here.