FOI 2026/1659

I am writing to request information relating to the commissioning and contracting of NHS Talking Therapies services in your area. Please provide the following information for the period 1 January 2018 to present (or the period for which data is held) for NHS Talking Therapies services commissioned within your footprint, including services commissioned at place level. Where the information is held by a place-based commissioning team, CSU, or another NHS body on your behalf, please either provide the information or advise which organisation holds it.

1. The name(s) of the current provider(s) of NHS Talking Therapies services.

2. The name(s) of any previous provider(s), if different.

3. Contract start and end dates, including details of any extensions and whether they have been exercised.

4. Contract value (annual and total value, where available).

5. The procurement route(s) used (e.g., open competitive tender, direct award, framework call-off).

6. Please confirm the following in relation to the current contract(s) for NHS Talking Therapies:

Whether the ICB currently intends to;

1. re-procure the service as a standalone contract
2. integrate the service into a wider contract
3. extend the existing contract without a new procurement
4. no requirement to make any contractual changes before 2028/29.

7. If a-c of the above are being considered, please provide the anticipated timeframe for decision or procurement activity.

8. Please confirm whether any of the following activities have taken place or are planned.

• pre-procurement planning
• stakeholder engagement
• service review linked to future commissioning
• development of a business case for contract change
• scoping consolidation of existing contracts that are currently separate

9. If planned, what is the anticipated timeframe?

10. With reference to the Provider Selection Regime, please confirm:

a. Whether the ICB has undertaken any assessment of the appropriate PSR provider selection process for this service.

b. If so, which process is currently anticipated.

c. Whether a decision notice or other PSR related documentation is expected to be published in relation to the future commissioning of this service.

d. Any anticipated timeframe for such a decision.

11. Where available, a copy of the current service specification and a list of headline KPIs or outcome measures used in contract performance monitoring.

12. A list of Freedom of Information requests received since 1 January 2022 relating to NHS Talking Therapies services, including the FOI reference number, date received, brief description, and whether a response was issued (with a copy or link where available).

1. Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust

Greater Manchester NHS Foundation Trust

For IS/Voluntary Sector please refer to NHS GM published contract list: Publication scheme | Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership

2. As above

3. NHS Trusts: 1^st April 2025 to 31^st March 26

For IS/Voluntary Sector please refer to NHS GM published contract list: Publication scheme | Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership

4. NHS Trusts: Part of block contract

For IS/Voluntary Sector please refer to NHS GM published contract list: Publication scheme | Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership

5. NHS Trusts: PSR Direct Award A

IS/Voluntary sector: PSR Direct Award C

6. For one provider consideration is currently being given to integrate the service into a wider contract. As this has not ben fully completed at this time, it is felt to be inappropriate to identify the provider.
7. This will be confirmed by 30^th June 2026
8. The service has had an annual review completed
9. Already completed
10. As no final decision has yet been completed, no decision about PSR routes have yet been considered.

11.

**A PDF document was sent to the requester with this response.  If you require a copy of the full response, together with the attachments, please contact NHS GM’s FOI team – nhsgm.foi@nhs.net **

Names of individuals have been removed from the documents attached because this information is exempt from disclosure under section 40 (2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 as it constitutes personal data where disclosure would be in breach of the Data Protection Act 2018.

As section 40 (2) is an absolute exemption there is no duty to consider disclosure in the public interest. They are set out in Part II of the Freedom of Information Act 2000

12. NHS Greater Manchester (NHS GM) was established on the 1 July 2022 following the merger of the 10 former Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) across Greater Manchester.

For the period January 2022 to June 2023, NHS GM does not hold a centrally searchable record of FOI requests at the level of detail requested. While FOI requests were received during this time, they were not consistently categorised or recorded in a way that enables identification through keyword searches without undertaking a manual review of all requests. Such a review would exceed the appropriate limit set out under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

For the period July 2023 to 1 April 2025, a search was undertaken of the FOI management system using the keywords “Talking” and “Talking Therapies”. The results of this search are provided below.

From April 2025 onwards, Freedom of Information requests received by NHS GM can be accessed via the following link. https://gmintegratedcare.org.uk/freedom-of-information/foi-request/

FOI requests and associated correspondence are retained in accordance with the NHS Records Management Code of Practice. This requires that FOI records are kept for a minimum of 3 years following closure, after which they may be securely disposed of in line with local retention schedules.