NELFT – Waltham Forest Crisis Alternative Services

{
  "buyer": {
    "id": "GB-PPON-PHHT-9556-BWJJ",
    "name": "North East London NHS Foundation Trust"
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  "date": "2025-08-29T15:20:50+01:00",
  "id": "052532-2025",
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        "locality": "Essex",
        "postalCode": "RM13 8GQ",
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        "streetAddress": "CEME Centre - West Wing, Marsh Way"
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        "name": "Dominic Caddle"
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    "contractTerms": {
      "financialTerms": "The payment profile for this Contract shall be monthly in arrears.\nThe Contracting Authority will pay correctly addressed, valid and undisputed invoices within 30 days of the day on which the invoice is received or, if later, the day on which the payment falls due in accordance with the invoice in accordance with and subject to the requirements of the Contract. Service Providers to the Contracting Authority must ensure comparable payment provisions apply to the payment of their sub-contractors and the sub-contractors of their sub-contractors. General requirements for an invoice for the Contracting Authority include:\nA description of the good/services supplied is included.\nThe Contracting Authority\u2019s reference number/Purchase Order number is included.\nIt must be addressed to the following:\nNorth East London NHS Foundation Trust, ELFS Shared Services, Unit 2, PO Box 4418, Swindon, SN4 4RW\nInvoices should be emailed to be sent to: elfs.395nel@cloud-trade.com\nIt must contain the relevant Contract Reference number (issued upon Contract Award).\nIt must include any contract deductions as part of the Service Credit Regime."
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    "description": "The successful provider of the Mental Health Crisis Alternative services will provide the venue. The accommodation will be fit for purpose, and we will also want the provider to make their own premises available in order for this to be a borough wide distributed facility.\nA critical factor for the successful operation of the service will be having the right partnerships in place. The venue will become an integral part of the local community and an active player as an effective link to be used in a partnership way across a range of venues, as a multi-site HUB. The provider will ensure their own premises are available in order for this to be a borough wide distributed facility. This will allow for a collaborative joined-up partnership approach in making facilities available while allowing us to have access to the venue.\nIt will be the providers responsibility to refurbish the venue with an IT infrastructure to support the service. NELFT will provide access to RIO and SystemOne electronic patient record (EPR) enhancing collaboration between services and service outcomes.\nThe Waltham Forest Mental Health Crisis Alternative services will be co-designed and co-produced by lived experienced servicer users and multiple stakeholders, fostering a culture of shared decision making. We are focussed on outcomes that are meaningful to those who use our service and in their recovery journey, committed to working collaboratively with the co-production process and the decision making process, such as:\n\u2022 Discussions around degree of access third sector partners have to RiO and EMIS.\n\u2022 Discussions on keeping it a confidential space and not sharing of information.\n\u2022 Discussions regarding the length of stay, volume of service users to utilise the space\nNELFT and the crisis teams will be involved in the co-production process so that the provisions can be integrated together. There will be a link to people and key contacts from each of the core NELFT teams (Psych Liaison, Integrated Care Assessment Hub (ICAH), each of the Mental Health Wellness Team) and further integration into the provision should arise out of a series of workshops and co-production.\nWaltham Forest is home to a diverse population of approximately 278,000 people, with significant communities from White British (34%), White Other (19%), Asian/Asian British (20%), and Black/Black British (15%) backgrounds. The borough has a large Eastern European community and is the 12th most deprived borough in London, with high levels of deprivation concentrated in the southern areas of Leyton, Walthamstow, and Higham Hill.\nThere is a growing population of refugees and asylum seekers, many of whom face barriers in accessing mental health services, such as language difficulties and stigma. Waltham Forest also has a history of underrepresentation from its South Asian communities in mental health service presentations, high rates of A\u0026E attendance amongst Eastern European communities, and high rates of hospital admission and detention experienced by Black men. This highlights the need for culturally appropriate outreach and service development, and for this \u2018crisis alternative\u2019 offer to look, feel and operate in a way that noticeably differs from statutory mental health services, so that people might seek support earlier, before a crisis is reached. The mental health needs of the population include common disorders like anxiety and depression, which contribute to emergency department (ED) attendances and require community-based alternatives to prevent escalation.\nService Aims\nThe primary aims of the Waltham Forest Mental Health Crisis Alternative are to:\n\u2022 Provide immediate, non-clinical support for individuals experiencing or wishing to prevent a mental health crisis, preventing escalation to statutory services like emergency departments and psychiatric liaison teams.\n\u2022 Reduce pressure on emergency services by offering a safe, non-medical alternative to hospital-based crisis interventions.\n\u2022 Address mental health inequalities by providing targeted support to underserved and underrepresented groups in Waltham Forest, including the Eastern European, Black African and Caribbean, refugee, and Asian/Asian British communities.\n\u2022 Promote early intervention and de-escalation through crisis listening, safety planning, and peer support, empowering individuals to manage their mental health and avoid future crises.\n\u2022 Enhance community resilience by offering practical support and linking individuals to appropriate local services, thereby reducing social isolation and promoting long-term mental wellbeing.\n\u2022 Collaborate with local VCSEs and statutory services to ensure an integrated care pathway, allowing smooth transitions between community and clinical services where needed.\nStrategic Context\nThis service supports the objectives of the North East London Integrated Care Board (ICB) and aligns with the Waltham Forest Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), which emphasises mental health as a key priority. The NHS Long-Term Plan and the North East London Joint Forward Plan highlight the importance of non-clinical, community-based crisis services that reduce the pressure on statutory services, emergency departments, and inpatient facilities. The Crisis Alternative will serve as a critical component of Waltham Forest\u2019s mental health crisis pathway, complementing existing services such as the Walthamstow Community Hub.\nService Model\nAccess and Referral Pathways\n\u2022 Self-Referral and Third-Party Referrals: The service will be accessible to anyone aged 18+ in Waltham Forest, as well as referrals from family members, carers, VCSEs, and statutory services.\n\u2022 Hours of Operation: The Crisis Alternative Hub will operate from 5:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., five days a week, providing out-of-hours support to residents and then 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at weekends and bank holidays.\n- This will be the minimum hours of operation, however outside these minimum hours, we encourage the use of the centre by any other partner by the provider or by any other partner for groups or activities during the daytime which the centre should be used for, if that is feasible from any provider.\n\u2022 Locations: The provider will provide the venue in the borough of Waltham Forest and the service will be delivered and accessible for all residents in the borough. The service will be delivered in a non-clinical community venue that offer support in the north, south and central parts of the borough.\n\u2022 There will be strong pathway links with MIND in Whipps Cross Hospital/ICAH/NHS 111 press 2 and Crest (Charitable Organisation)\nThere will be several months of collaborative development that is expected before this launches in Winter 2025 that is a vital part of the process where key aspects is clarified so that we can make key decisions together about how this works together as a community.\nService Delivery\nCrisis Support: The service will provide a safe, non-stigmatising environment for immediate emotional support. The core interventions include:\n\u2022 Crisis listening and de-escalation: One-to-one sessions to help individuals manage their distress and reduce the intensity of their crisis.\n\u2022 Safety Planning: Development of personalised crisis management plans, including practical coping strategies and signposting to other services.\n\u2022 Peer Support: Trained individuals with lived experience will offer non-clinical, empathetic support.\n\u2022 Practical Support: Assistance with housing, financial, and employment-related issues that may be exacerbating the crisis.\n\u2022 Outreach and Culturally Sensitive Support: Proactive outreach to Eastern European communities, refugees, and individuals facing language barriers, ensuring communication in culturally appropriate ways through partnerships with local VCSEs.\n\u2022 The cultivation of relationships over short or long periods of time should be at the heart of this work and the entire endeavour should be oriented towards a very strong relational focus.\nStaffing\nThe Crisis Alternative will be staffed by a combination of:\n\u2022 Peer Support Workers from diverse backgrounds, trained in crisis management.\n\u2022 For complex case management and oversight Mental Health Practitioner support will be provided by NELFT on an informal and ad hoc basis depending on demand and the co-production design process.\n\u2022 Volunteers, particularly from local communities, including those with multilingual capabilities to support non-English speakers.\n\u2022 Particular care will be taken to encourage applications from people with local connection to the area, and who represent the diverse communities of Waltham Forest.\nCrisis Alternative staff, and NELFT staff who will be interfacing with this service, will undertake Compassionate and Relational Enquiry (CARE) training offered by NELFT as well as the possibility of full Open Dialogue training provided for key staff members and regular workers in the unit. Additionally, interfacing NELFT staff will receive training from Crisis Alternative colleagues around understanding and working alongside peer workers and understanding the ethos and practices of the organisations delivering the crisis alternatives. This will support a more consistent approach and stronger working relationships.\nAll staff will be paid in alignment with London Living Wage and required to complete a DBS check dependent on the role, if required.",
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    "riskDetails": "Unanticipated Population Growth: Population growth exceeds projections, resulting in increased demand for services that cannot be met.\nCapacity Issues: Existing services may not have the capacity to meet rising demand, leading to delays in access and increased pressure on emergency services.\nService Utilisation: The service may not be utilised as intended, with individuals continuing to rely on emergency services instead.\nOperational: The service may face operational challenges, such as staffing shortages or logistical issues (venues), impacting its ability to provide timely support. Operational hours may not align with the needs of the community, limiting access to support during critical times. Insufficient staff to meet demand, impacting the ability to provide timely and effective support.\nTraining Needs: Managing volunteers and staff, including ensuring they are adequately trained and supported with further training requirements.\nCommissioning: NELFT\u0027s funding may increase or decrease over the length of this contract to suit ICB requirements.",
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