NHS children's services provider contract to end

The Community Children’s Health Partnership, created and run by North Bristol Trust and the Barnardo’s charity, provides all community child health and child and adolescent mental health services for Bristol and south Gloucestershire.

The partnership took on the services in March 2009 following a tender process in a deal worth £23m a year.

The trust board decided last month not to extend the contract beyond the March 2016 end date, so the provider could focus on providing acute and hospital based care.

North Bristol Trust’s director of operations Kate Hannam told HSJ: “At its board meeting in April, the trust took the difficult decision not to extend the Community Children’s Health Partnership contract beyond our contracted date of March 2016, which means we do not intend to bid for the next contract.”

“We have written formally to the commissioners and partners to let them know of our decision and will meet with staff based within the service to inform them of our decision and give them the opportunity to ask questions and raise concerns.

“As a trust we have been working hard developing our strategy for the future, which is centred on acute and hospital based care.

“In discussions, it became clear that whilst we are proud of CCHP, we must concentrate our energies and resources on those areas. To extend the contract and bid for a children’s community service was not in the best interests of the trust.”

Over 700 staff are employed to provide the service including health visitors, school nurses, physiotherapists, community doctors and psychiatrists, family therapists and supporting staff.

A spokeswoman for Barnardo’s said: “[The charity] has enjoyed a positive working relationship with the trust. Following the trust board’s decision not to renew the contract, we now hope to work with local commissioners to see if a new service provider can be found.”