The Council invites Suppliers to tender to for a Support For Independent Living In Staffordshire (SILIS) Service.

The Support for Independent Living in Staffordshire (SILIS) Service will enable vulnerable older and disabled people to maintain their independence, health and well-being in their home and community.

There will be a review of Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs) by the Government (expected Winter 2017-18) and the content of the Service Specification will be dependent on what is permitted under the new guidance. In the Services Specification ‘Required’ services are those services specified under the current legislation and ‘Additional’ services are those services the guidance may be amended to include. Therefore the Contracting Body intends to buy the ‘Required’ services and may buy the ‘Additional’ services.

The supplier of the SILIS Service may opt to directly provide these services, or may wish to sub-contract or work with other agencies in a consortia arrangement to deliver the services.

A key aim of the Service is to help Individuals to make changes to their home environment that will prevent the need for more costly interventions, such as admission to hospital or residential care, following life crises.

The Service will deliver:

i. a high quality information and advice service which is multi-channel;

ii. a seamless, joined-up approach to service delivery between partner agencies;

iii. ability to control implementation of an Individuals' chosen option where possible;

iv. support to exercise choice for Individuals where required;

v. timely delivery once the chosen option is decided by the Individual;

vi. a single point of contact and good feedback about progress.

The Service will improve upon the following existing services:

vii. Home Improvement Agency (HIA);

viii. Assistive Technology (AT) including referral to telecare providers;

ix. independent living centres;

x. the administration of financial support for disabled adaptations and repairs and moving to a more suitable home where this is permitted under the legislation.

Interested suppliers should register on the Proactis e-tendering system https://supplierlive.proactisp2p.com and then register an interest in this opportunity.

The County Council will be the Contracting Body for the Service. The funding partners are Stafford Borough Council, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, Lichfield District Council, Tamworth Borough Council, South Staffordshire District Council and Staffordshire Moorlands District Council. The following may also use the Contract in future; East Staffordshire Borough Council and Cannock Chase District Council, East Staffordshire Clinical Commissioning Group, North Staffordshire Clinical Commissioning Group and Stoke-on-Trent Clinical Commissioning Group, South East Staffordshire and Seisdon Peninsula Clinical Commissioning Group, Cannock Chase Clinical Commissioning Group and Stafford and Surrounds Clinical Commissioning Group.