National Psychosocial Support Service - Cluster 1 - Bayside, Glen Eira, Stonnington & Port Phillip

⁠⁠⁠Primary Health Networks (PHNs) were established with the key objectives of increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of medical services for patients, particularly those at risk of poor health outcomes, and improving coordination of care to ensure patients receive the right care in the right place at the right time.

The South Eastern Melbourne PHN catchment encompasses an area comprising 1.4 million people and stretches from St Kilda to Sorrento and as far east as Bunyip, including the major population hubs of Monash, Dandenong, Moorabbin, Caulfield, Cranbourne, Frankston and Pakenham.

From 1 July, 2016 PHNs adopted a commissioning approach to procuring medical and health care services which is based on an assessment of the health and wellbeing needs of the community. This work determines the priority areas and guides the scope of the commissioning process.

The South Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network (SEMPHN) is pleased to invite requests to deliver the National Psychosocial Support (NPS) service, (the ‘Service’) in the LGA cluster of Bayside, Glen Eira, Stonnington and Port Phillip in the South Eastern Melbourne Catchment.

Primary Health Networks (PHNs) have been funded by the Commonwealth to commission the NPS, service. The NPS funding aims to assist people with severe mental illness resulting in reduced psychosocial functional capacity who are not more appropriately supported through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)1. NPS aims to provide optimal support that enables people to effectively manage the impacts of mental illness and participate meaningfully in everyday life. NPS is a less intense, short term service to build psychosocial functional capacity to address individual needs and complements clinical mental health and broader physical health and social support. The PHN will commission this funding to be implemented in a flexible way that complements the State funded psychosocial supports.

PHNs will be required to commission the CoS program to ensure that eligible clients receive the same level of service they had been receiving through PIR, PHaMs or D2DL.

The guidelines for the CoS program are still being finalised by the Australian Government, however should the CoS services align closely with those commissioned through this tender process, SEMPHN may approach the successful applicant(s) to discuss the expansion of the NPS services to include the CoS program.

This request focuses on the NPS service and responses should reflect this. The successful Service Provider will be contracted from May 2019 and commencement of service delivery to start 1 July 2019.