All Age Service Substance Misuse

Medway Council looking to commission an effective, accessible and equitable All-Age Drugs and Alcohol Prevention, Treatment and Recovery Service. The service will support children, young people and adults to access full range of interventions (including harm-reduction, clinical and psychosocial treatment, one to one and group support, outreach, recovery services and education). A comprehensive Health Needs assessment has highlighted gaps in the local system, including challenges in transitions between young people’s and adult services, unmet need in both children and adults, the need for trauma informed approaches to engagement and treatment and co-production and lived experience informed service delivery. Whilst improvements have been made within the existing contract term, Medway wishes to commission a fully integrated all-age model that will remove barriers between services and ensure smooth transitions for service users. Currently, young people’s and adult substance misuse services operate as separate contracts, commissioned at different times and under different arrangements. This new commissioning arrangement is a major step towards aligning contracts, pathways, governance and workforce under single lead provider model as Medway develops its full all age service. The core principles for the new contract are focused on: •Tailored, Person-Centred and Age-Appropriate Care •Prevention and Early Intervention •Recovery-Focused Support •Accessible and Flexible Services •Partnership and Integrated Working •Lived Experience and Co-Production •Safeguarding and Safety •Evidence-Based Innovation and Accountability •Staff Wellbeing and Development The Provider will also be required to deliver a successful Individual Placement Support (IPS) programme, ensuring people using the service have access to evidence-based employment support to help them gain and sustain meaningful employment as part of their recovery journey. The All-Age Treatment, Prevention and Recovery contract will run for an initial term of 36 months, with the option for two further extensions of 24 months each, subject to mutual agreement. To secure these aims, Medway Council intends to procure the All-Age Drugs and Alcohol Prevention, Treatment and Recovery Service through the competitive tender under the NHS Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023.