Armed Forces Community - Step into Health

NHS England & Improvement are looking for expressions of interest from suppliers who are able to support delivery of the below. This is a pre-procurement exercise to better understand the market and potential suppliers that can deliver the requirement. The outcome of this engagement will inform the procurement strategy.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the relationship between the NHS and the Armed Forces with collaborative efforts in the delivery of testing services, the establishment of NHS Nightingale hospitals, supporting the PPE supply chain and infrastructure to local systems.

This joint and collaborative working has highlighted that members of the Armed Forces Community have many skills which are highly sought after by employers within the NHS.

The requirement is for a bespoke programme designed to support the employment of members of the Armed Forces community (service leavers, reservists, veterans and armed forces family members) within the NHS. The programme will support potential and current employees of the NHS and employers in the NHS.

The programme will work with both employers within the NHS and potential / current employees to introduce a series of measures designed to support the needs of both parties. These include, for example, reviewing existing recruitment and HR practices to remove barriers to the Armed Forces Community, advertising employment opportunities with the Career Transition Partnership, introductory workshops, candidate insight days, mentoring opportunities and, the provision of work placements.

The Deliverables for this requirement go beyond standard recruitment support and will be looking for supplier who can deliver the following:

• Developing candidate insight days that meet the needs of both candidate and employer.
• Raising the profile of employers within the NHS with candidates and organisations that provide employment support.
• Working with professional bodies to support the employment of clinical staff within the NHS.

-Developing networks to enable employers within the NHS to collaborate on workforce issues.

• Providing advice to employers within the NHS on NHS recruitment practice and workforce planning matters.
• Working with the Ministry of Defence and its agencies and military charities to support the Armed Forces community in employment within the NHS.
• Ensuring this project would align with broader NHS workforce policy objectives such as the NHS People Plan.
• Measuring the success of the project.
• Developing an evidence base on the benefits to the NHS of employing members of the Armed Forces Community.

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST BY 02/06/21

Interest suppliers should read the details attached to the notice which specify further details about the requirement, how to register an interest in the possible procurement and the submission requirements for registering an interest.