Shropshire Council advertises £5m contracts for private health support services

The authority wants private companies or partnerships to bid for three different areas of health and social care support, ranging from providing support to patients who've been discharged from hospital, to mental health outreach services.

The three contracts will run for five years, starting in April 2026.

The first contract, worth up to £2.8m, will see a private provider deliver "community-led activities" to improve health in the community, set to include practical support and activities to help people develop daily living skills and reduce social isolation.

"The contract holder will provide a range of community-led activities that have the ability to encourage and facilitate healthy and resilient communities, recognising the breadth of provision that influence and determine good health," a tender document published by Shropshire Council says. 

"The activity will facilitate both practical and emotional support for individuals, including family carers, that will enable people to live as independently as possible within their own home and to engage with their local community. 

"The provision will also enable individuals to build confidence to foster meaningful social connections, networks of support, increased activity levels, and access to creative and expressive activities."

A further two lots, worth up to £1.4m and £1m respectively, will deliver a mental health outreach programme for the county, as well as support for vulnerable residents when they are discharged from hospital.

Those services are set to include transportation, alongside "practical and emotional support that will aid an individual’s recovery and reablement".

Shropshire Council says this could also include food shopping and collecting prescriptions, and providing sustained support that will "encourage healthy lifestyles and strong social networks" - aiming to reduce the risk of readmission to hospital.

"Given the breadth of expertise required, we welcome proposals from partnerships, consortia, or lead provider/subcontractor arrangements," said the council's tender document, published this month.

"The council values the unique identity and recognition of individual organisations and encourages solutions that preserve choice for service users."

All three contracts are set to be awarded in November.