Introduction

This notification has been issued to inform the market that Western Sydney Primary Health Network (WSPHN) may soon be commencing the procurement process for the above program.

Invitation to Respond: Note that this is not a tender, but an invitation for market response to information published on, or accessible through, this website, pertaining to this potential upcoming tender.

Background

WSPHN may commission specialist perinatal mental health services for women and their families. This will align with Objective 4 of the Western Sydney Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Regional Plan: “Improving the access to and quality of perinatal, infant and child mental health”. These services are intended to provide wraparound treatment and care for individuals, couples and infants, including parent-infant psychotherapy, linkages to practical home support, medication management and liaison with midwifery, obstetric, paediatric and GP colleagues, as well as facilitation of hospital admissions if required.

The overarching objective of these services is to ensure the best possible start in life for the next generation, by improving the health and well-being of both the mother and her partner.

Program Objectives and Design

The therapeutic work focuses on:

- Managing the mental illness, including addressing predisposing, precipitating, perpetuating and protective factors

- Encouraging a secure attachment between infants and their parents

- Dealing with distress and emotional consequences for the mother and the family

- Exploring and enhancing the relationship between pregnant women, those who have given birth and their partners, during the transition into parenthood.

In designing and delivering the program, organisations should consider a multidisciplinary team care approach with an appropriate staffing mix of psychologists, counsellors, mental health nurses and other allied health professionals. Integration strategies to relevant LHD services and General Practice.

This program is not intended to duplicate existing funding or supports, other state government funded services and supports which are remunerable through Medicare.

Next Steps

A formal procurement process, for the Perinatal Mental Health Services for women and their families program, may commence in March 2025, after a period of consultation with the market.

If your organisation is already working in this field with specialist skills and experience in supporting the perinatal mental health needs of women and their families, or has capacity, expertise and desire to do so, you are encouraged to participate in this procurement process.

Following the initial Registration of Interest process (ROI), WSPHN will contact interested service providers to facilitate an interactive discussion with the primary focus on identification of current challenges, strategies to overcome them and ideas to enhance services in the Western Sydney region to enable this program to be implemented successfully.

Registration of Interest (ROI)

WSPHN is inviting service providers who are interested in participating in this procurement process to register their interest by providing their relevant contact details to the following email address Commissioning@wentwest.com.au by Monday 17 February, 2025.

Further information on registering your interest will be available on Tenderlink, the Australian Tenders and WentWest websites.

WSPHN intends to commence consultation (one-on-one discussions or workshops) with registered providers in February 2025 before commencing the Expression of Interest (EOI) process in early 2025.

An EOI Process may be undertaken in March 2025 after a period of consultation with the market.

Question and Answers

If you have any questions, please contact the Commissioning team at Commissioning@wentwest.com.au