NHS South Yorkshire ICB British Sign Language (BSL) Talking Therapies

This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intended approach notice. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this award.

The intention is to award a contract following the Most Suitable Provider Process.

Service aims and desired outcomes of the Sign Language (BSL) Talking Therapies:

• Deliver Talking Therapies that meet NICE guidance, provided directly in British Sign Language (BSL) for Deaf service users in South Yorkshire.

• Increase access to psychological therapies for Deaf BSL users, reducing barriers and improving equity across Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and Sheffield.

• Support improved mental health outcomes, including recovery, reliable improvement, and patient satisfaction, for Deaf people in the local area.

• Build and sustain a skilled workforce fluent in BSL or dedicated mental health BSL Interpreters to deliver high-quality, culturally appropriate care.

• Promote early intervention and prevention through accessible psychoeducation and self-help resources in BSL.

• Involve service users and carers in the planning, delivery, and evaluation of the service, ensuring care is person-centred and responsive to local needs.

• Work in partnership with local health, social care, and voluntary sector organisations to support holistic wellbeing and effective care pathways.

This notice is an intention to award a contract under the most suitable provider process. This is a new service to be provided by a new provider.The contract will run for two years from the date of the award of the contract.

In arriving at the decision NHS South Yorkshire ICB have used the following criteria:

Key criteria 1. Quality and innovation- Weighting 25%

SY ICB is satisfied that SignHealth meets the quality and innovation criterion to a sufficient standard for this specialist BSL Talking Therapies service. SignHealth has delivered a comparable national NHS England BSL Talking Therapies service and reports recovery rates rising year on year (55.9%, 59.3%, 61.9%) with reliable improvement remaining high (78.3%, 78.4%, 77.4%), and local South Yorkshire outcomes reported as 61.5% recovery and 80% reliable improvement. The proposed model aligns to the NHS Talking Therapies Manual and NICE recommended interventions through a stepped-care approach, with Step 2 and Step 3 interventions delivered directly in BSL by appropriately trained and accredited clinicians, avoiding reliance on interpreters and supporting clinical safety and effectiveness. Quality assurance is supported through BSL-delivered clinical supervision, governance oversight by a highly specialist clinical psychologist, and routine outcomes monitoring using BSL-adapted PHQ-9, GAD-7 and WSAS, alongside TT dataset submissions via MHSDS to NHS England. Innovation is evidenced through the provider’s bespoke BSL computerised CBT content delivered via the SilverCloud platform as part of a blended offer.

Key criteria 2. Value - Weighting 20%

SY ICB is satisfied that SignHealth offers good value for this low-volume, highly specialist clinical service, based on the balance of costs, overall benefits and the financial implications of the proposed arrangement. The staged quarterly payments linked to monthly MHSDS submissions, quarterly contract management, and delivery of access and outcome expectations, including a minimum of 20 people accessing by the end of Year 1 and 40 people by the end of Year 2. SignHealth’s delivery model provides direct BSL assessment and therapy without reliance on interpreters, which supports efficient use of clinical time and reduces avoidable duplication and additional travel associated with interpreter-supported appointments. The provider also confirms mobilisation using established workforce, systems and infrastructure and routine outcomes monitoring, which reduces set-up costs and supports transparent assurance of benefit for spend.

Key criteria 3. Integration, collaboration and service sustainability - Weighting 20%

SignHealth’s model supports integration through multiple referral routes, including self-referral, GP referral, referrals from local NHS Talking Therapies services, and referrals from other health, social care and voluntary sector professionals, supported by accessible contact channels. The provider provides prompt triage and BSL-delivered assessment, with clear communication where people are not suitable and collaborative onward referral to other services where additional needs are identified. SignHealth also commits to working with local health, social care and voluntary sector organisations to support effective care pathways, alongside ongoing engagement with BSL users and stakeholders to shape delivery. SignHealth states the service can commence immediately and mobilisation does not rely on new systems or significant recruitment bec