Re-procurement of Mental Health Helpline

That a procurement
exercise for the provision of a mental health helpline be approved
and any subsequent contract to be awarded in line with the officer
scheme of delegation (Paragraph 1.3).

The sustainability of
the service for a mental health helpline had always been
precarious; the service had been financially maintained through the
use of grants, one off adult social care funding and public health
grant funding.  The proposal aimed to
shore up the provision to give it longer-term viability and
stability.

The alternatives
considered were:

Do not procure any
service – this option would provide cost savings to both public
health and the Local Authority General Fund.  However, it would erode any good work brought
about by the contract to date, eradicating low level support for
residents of Torbay which would likely, in turn, increase demand
for and pressure on already stretched mental health (and
potentially social care) services.  The
likelihood was that this would decrease productivity in the
communities affected due to time off or inability to work due to
unsupported mental health issues.  This
option was discounted.

Procure a service with
a reduced cost basis – this option would also provide cost savings
to either or both public health and the Local Authority General
Fund.  It would however reduce the
impact and effectiveness of the service. Cost saving was not the
desired outcome in this process and funding had been secured and
baselined in both the general fund and public health budgets.
 Depending on the value of the reduction
in funding the impact on both effectiveness and outcomes, would be
proportionate to the reduction. 
Therefore, this option was discounted.

Procure the service on
a like for like basis – this option would not cost more money than
was already agreed in the baseline spend for both the General Fund
and the Public Health Grant.  The gains
made through supporting the service to date could be maintained, it
would most likely allow the voluntary sector capacity to obtain
sustained, longer term secure funding. 
This was the preferred option.

This decision will
come into force and may be implemented on 29 September 2025 unless
the call-in procedure is triggered (as set out in the Standing
Orders in relation to Overview and Scrutiny).

The Mental Health
Helpline had been operating on short term contracts since its
inception by the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE)
sector in 2021 as a response to the COVID pandemic and the
increasing needs for low level mental health and emotional
wellbeing support.

The proposal sought to
procure the service so that a new contract could commence from
April 2026 with a longer-term, more stable financial
basis.  The outcomes were to maintain
access to signposting, advice and low-level interventions for those
people who present with emotional or mental wellbeing needs who do
not meet thresholds for statutory mental health services.

At the meeting
Councillor Tranter proposed and
Councillor Jackie Thomas seconded a motion that was agreed
unanimously by the Cabinet, as set out above.