Medway Council and NHS Medway Clinical Commissioning Group are seeking to procure a high quality, effective and outcome focused mental health peer support service and invites tenders from suitably qualified providers for the provision of the service as detailed in the Specification of Requirement, in accordance with the tender instructions and the council’s terms and conditions of Contract.

The service aims to support people with lived experience of mental illness through interventions such as: peer facilitated psychoeducation, recovery coaching, activity groups and wellbeing groups. The service will also support service users’ carers, to co-produce a person centred and outcome focused support programme.

The key aims and objectives of the service:

— to create a mutually respectful community of peers supporting each other,

— through partnership working and collaborating with other peer groups, increase the choice of peer support groups available in different locations,

— build peer support on shared personal experience and empathy, focusing on strengths not weaknesses, with the goal of achieving wellbeing and recovery,

— help people identify personal goals and ambitions,

— create a fun, positive and safe environment for learning and exploring recovery,

— give people the confidence and support to access opportunities and resources available to them.

The successful provider will be expected to work closely with Medway Wellbeing Navigation Service, the Voluntary Community Sector (VCS) “Better Together” Consortium, GP services, clinical and social care services to ensure that parity of esteem is achieved between physical health and mental health.