Our Vision and Commissioning Intentions

Our Vision and Commissioning Intentions for the Social Care Market for Adults of Working Age with Mental Ill Health

The Council have set principles around and an overall vision for how the social care needs of adults are met within West Sussex.

In addition, the Council have also built on this and produced an Adults’ Social Care Commissioning Strategy 2023 to 2025. This outlines 12 high level commissioning intentions, including intentions relevant to mental health social care around:

  • provision of early support and prevention services,
  • redefining commissioning arrangements for supported living and residential services, developing a range of accommodation options, developing pathways for individuals making transitions from Children's Services to Adult Services,
  • strengthening the approach to services for carers,
  • increasing the number of people using direct payments and trialling an approach to individual service funds,
  • developing interfaces and processes with commissioned care providers to improve the efficiency of referral and payment processes,
  • designing a new Quality Assurance Framework and approach to contract management.

Specifically for mental ill health our high-level commissioning intentions are to:

  • Support and contribute to a system wide response to providing early help and prevention and community mental health support to adults who have mental ill health.
  • Ensure customers are being supported using a recovery focused and strength-based model to enable them to live their best lives in which ever setting they are in.
  • Increase opportunities for individuals with mental health needs to move through a pathway from care to more independent living in their own community.
  • Ensure individuals are receiving the right care and support services to meet their needs, and when needs increase or reduce there are appropriate services for individuals to move on to.
  • Reduce the number of customers with mental health needs placed in accommodation-based care outside of West Sussex.
  • Reduce waiting time and lists for appropriate care and support services customers with mental health needs in West Sussex.
  • Support and contribute to a system wide response to increasing placement retention and reducing placement breakdowns and avoidable hospital admissions.

In order to work towards achieving these intentions:

 

WE WILL

How we are and will be doing it

How providers can engage in this work

1

Develop relationships and improve partnerships between Council mental health commissioners and the mental health provider market.

Through the continuation and development of regular mental health provider forums and engagement opportunities.

Email: MHCommissioning@westsussex.gov.uk to request being on the mailing list for all mental health provider forums and engagement events.

2

Work proactively with providers to support the development of new care and support services and where needed remodel existing ones to increase the supply of the right supported living accommodation in the right places for people with mental health needs in West Sussex. This includes proactive stimulation of market and services in the North of West Sussex.

The mental health commissioning team is working alongside our Life-long Services and Mental Health Market Development Programme to run workshops, and support providers to develop new and existing services.

Email: MHCommissioning@westsussex.gov.uk if you would like to be invited to Market Development workshops, have an idea for a new development or would like support to remodel an existing one.

3

Lead work to improve the way that council services and providers plan a recovery focused pathway for individuals with mental health needs will move from higher level care to lower levels of support.

Our Pathways Project which sits within our overall Market Development Programme (see above) – is engaging with providers to co-produce new ways of working around this. In addition, our review of contracting for residential care and supported living (see below) will also look at how pathway planning can be strengthened.

Email: MHCommissioning@westsussex.gov.uk if you would like to be involved in this project. Attend mental health provider forums and engagement events to hear about progress.

 

WE WILL

How we are and will be doing it

How providers can engage in this work

4

Lead partnership work with housing provider including Borough and District Councils to increase access to and supply of housing and support for people with mental health problems.

The West Sussex Mental Health & Housing Steering Group which is led by WSCC meets regularly. In consultation with members of this group, partners and stakeholders the group developed the West Sussex Mental Health & Housing Plan that was signed off by the Mental Health Oversight Board in March 2022. The plan was then revised and refreshed in March 2024.

Email: MHCommissioning@westsussex.gov.uk

Attend mental health provider forums and engagement events to hear about progress.

Any providers interested in developing housing for adults with mental health needs should email: MHCommissioning@westsussex.gov.uk

5

Work with NHS partners to look at developing support for providers to prevent placement breakdown and avoidable hospital admissions.

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and piloting new initiatives in 2024 and 2025 and working with WSCC input to do this.

Attend mental health provider forums and engagement events to hear about this work and its progress.

6

Work with NHS and other partners to ensure that we have the best prevention and early help services available for people with mental health needs in West Sussex as possible.

WSCC is supporting the ICB mental health commissioners around the recommissioning of their Mental Health Support Services contract for West Sussex (currently Pathfinder) which will be re-procured by the ICB during 2024 and 2025.

Attend mental health provider forums and engagement events to hear about this work and its progress.

Find out about how these services are being developed and link to overall community mental health service provision in West Sussex on the Transforming Community Mental Health Services page of the Sussex Health & Care website.

7

Contribute to the review of contracting arrangements for mental health residential and supported living services to ensure that specifications reflect expectations around a recovery model and supporting a pathway through care.

In 2024 and 2025 the Council is reviewing its contracts for mental health supported living and residential services and will be consulting with providers of these mental health services about this.

If you hold contracts with WSCC then you will be receiving correspondence around this work.

In addition, and if you do not then attend mental health provider forums and engagement events to be consulted and hear about this work and its progress.

 

WE WILL

How we are and will be doing it

How providers can engage in this work

8

Improve the information and data available to support effective planning and development of the market and also monitoring of outcomes.

Mental health needs assessment data is now available and can be used by providers to support development – (See the section 'Current and Future Demand for Social Care Services for Adults of Working Age with Mental Ill Health - Population Needs Data' )

Mental health commissioners will provide regular need and demand updates at market engagement events to ensure providers have the most up to date and accurate intelligence that is available.

Consultation around new contract models for residential and supported living services will review how activity and outcome data is collected and used which should lead to improvements.

Attend mental health provider forums and engagement events to get and discuss market need and demand updates.
Last updated: 12 February 2025
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