For brokerage and placement teams
The information you need to broker a placement, without chasing us for it
Brokerage runs on turnaround and on data. This page gives you our availability position, what we need to price a package, and a straight route to a named person rather than a general enquiry form.
Referrals line: REFERRALS PHONE · Referrals inbox: REFERRALS EMAIL
This page is for you if
You are sourcing a placement against a deadline and you need to know quickly whether a provider has capacity, what they can take, and what it will cost.
The most common complaint about providers from brokerage teams is not price — it is not being able to find out whether a service has a vacancy without three phone calls. We are building our availability information to be readable rather than requestable.
Where a detail on this page is still amber, it is because Bellus has not confirmed it yet. We would rather show you an obvious gap than a plausible guess.
What we can take, and what we would decline
We would expect to be able to help with
- Supported living with a tenancy, with support hours matched to assessed need
- Live-in and visiting care in a person’s own home
- CONFIRM STAFFING PATTERNS: 1:1, 2:1, waking night, sleep-in
- CONFIRM AGE RANGE SUPPORTED
- CONFIRM: autism, learning disability, mental health, complex and forensic needs
We would be honest and decline where
- The environment or the existing tenant group would make a safe placement unlikely
- The support hours funded would not meet the assessed level of risk
- CONFIRM EXCLUSIONS — what Bellus would not accept
- We cannot recruit and train the right team in the timescale you need
- A better-matched provider already exists and we would be the wrong answer
Saying no early is more useful to you than saying yes slowly. We would rather decline a referral in the first conversation than hold up a discharge or a placement while we work out that we cannot do it.
What we need to review a referral properly
- A current needs assessment, or the most recent one available
- Any risk assessment and positive behaviour support plan in place
- Relevant health information, including diagnoses and prescribed medication
- Capacity and best-interests decisions relevant to accommodation and care
- Any DoLS, Court of Protection order or Section 117 aftercare status
- The funding route and the authority or team holding the budget
- Communication needs, sensory needs and known triggers
- Who else is involved — family, advocate, care coordinator, current provider
- Your deadline, and what happens if it is missed
Send what you have. An incomplete referral still gets a response — we will tell you what else we need rather than sitting on it. Documents can be uploaded securely through the referral form (accepted formats and size limits are shown on the upload step).
Funding arrangements we work with
Local authority
CONFIRM: adult social care funded packages, including joint and pooled arrangements.
NHS Continuing Healthcare
CONFIRM: CHC-funded placements and jointly funded packages.
Section 117 aftercare
CONFIRM: aftercare packages following detention under the Mental Health Act.
Personal health budgets
CONFIRM: PHBs and direct payments, including where a family manages the budget.
Private / self-funded
CONFIRM: privately funded arrangements and deputy-managed funds.
Frameworks and DPS
CONFIRM WHICH FRAMEWORKS AND DYNAMIC PURCHASING SYSTEMS BELLUS IS ON.
Every item on this page marked in amber is awaiting confirmation from Bellus and is not yet a published commitment.
What happens after you send a referral
- 1
Initial discussion
A short conversation about the person’s needs and current situation, so we can tell you early whether Bellus is a realistic option. No paperwork required to start this.
- 2
Referral and documents
Formal submission through our secure form, with supporting documents attached.
- 3
Information review
Our clinical and operational teams review the documentation to confirm whether we can safely meet the person’s needs.
- 4
Specialist assessment
A face-to-face or virtual assessment with the person, their family and any current provider.
- 5
MDT review
Our internal multidisciplinary team formulates a support strategy and confirms whether we can offer a safe, effective placement.
- 6
Compatibility assessment
For supported living, a formal assessment of compatibility with existing tenants, the environment and the local community.
- 7
Funding and placement proposal
Detailed costings, a proposed support plan and a transition proposal, submitted to you.
- 8
Transition planning
A step-by-step plan including familiarisation visits, person-specific staff training and any environmental adaptations.
- 9
Move-in
Support commences with a team that has already been trained and briefed on this person.
- 10
Reviews
A structured initial review, then ongoing outcome reviews focused on quality of life, not just service delivery. CONFIRM REVIEW INTERVALS
We publish this pathway because transparency is worth more to a commissioner than a brochure. If a step is going to take longer than expected, we will tell you rather than let the referral go quiet.
What you can expect from us, and when
SLA 1
Initial clinical and operational review, and a clear yes or no on whether we are pursuing the referral.
SLA 2
Specialist assessment arranged with the person and everyone who needs to be there.
SLA 3
Placement proposal and full costings submitted to the funding authority.
These commitments are pending confirmation by Bellus. We will not publish a response time the service cannot operationally hold — a broken commitment costs more than an unpublished one. Out-of-hours referral route: OUT-OF-HOURS ROUTE
Questions from brokerage
1Where do I see current availability?
The vacancies page carries the full commissioner data set for each service, with a last-verified date so you know how current it is. VACANCIES PAGE IS NOT YET PUBLISHED — SERVICE DATA OUTSTANDING.
2How current is the availability information?
Every service entry carries the date it was last verified. If a date looks stale, treat it as stale and call us.
3Can you give an indicative cost before assessment?
We can give a range once we understand the support hours and staffing pattern. A firm figure needs the assessment, because the hours are what drives the cost.
4Who is my named contact?
NAMED PLACEMENT CONTACT.
5Do you take spot purchases as well as framework?
CONFIRM SPOT PURCHASE AND FRAMEWORK ARRANGEMENTS.
Talk to us about a person you are trying to place
A short conversation before a formal referral usually saves everyone time. Tell us the situation and we will give you a straight answer about whether Bellus is a realistic option.
Referrals inbox: REFERRALS EMAIL · General enquiries: [email protected]