Issue - meetings

RESOLVED:

1.         That approval be given to change the practice of commissioning HBC services to “Awarded Provider Status”.

2.         That a report be taken to Cabinet for approval of any additional non-budgeted expenditure resulting from the planned implementation of the new framework, including proposals for any harmonisation of legacy rates.

Reasons for Decisions:

The existing HBC provision agreements expire on 30 September 2017 and given the above factors set out in the summary ASC in conjunction with Procurement made the decision to plan to re-commission the service.  By taking this opportunity ASC can update the service specification and agreements to offer residents an improved service and be able to respond more flexibly and quickly to a fluid HBC market.

[The decision on this item may be called in by either the Council Overview Board or the Social Care Services Scrutiny Board]

Provision of a Home Based Care (HBC) service to vulnerable adults in Surrey was a statutory requirement of the Council under the Care Act 2014.  HBC services enabled and supported people to remain independent and living in their own homes for longer. 

The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Wellbeing and Independence stressed the importance of having a HBC service but said that the service was under extreme pressure in terms of an increase in demand due to an aging population with complex health and social care needs, and set against challenging financial circumstances, such as a general lack of capacity within the HBC market plus inability to recruit and retain care staff. 

As a consequence of these issues Adult Social Care (ASC) was proposing to change the current practice by which HBC providers were awarded HBC work with SCC through inviting Expressions of Interest against which suitably qualified agencies would be Awarded Provider Status (APS).  New and evolving providers could join or expand their services over time.  This APS list would increase and widen the range of providers with which ASC were able to commission against pre-agreed terms and would, through working in partnership with these providers, enable a more flexible response to changes in demographics and the care market.

The Cabinet Member said that the Council currently delivered HBC services to 6304 people, currently amounting to 3,410,000 hours per annum. He also referred to the Equality Impact Assessment, attached to the submitted report, and was pleased to report that there would be no negative impacts as a result of changes to the practice for commissioning HBC services. He said that the Council was fully aware of the importance of safeguarding vulnerable adults.

Other Members made the following points:

·         The scale of the provision delivered by the Council

·         Re-assured that quality assurance was in place to enable the service to be delivered well

·         That a significant number of Surrey residents required help through the Adult Social Care Service

·         The difficulty of providing a HBC service to some of Surrey’s rural areas and that the travelling distances and times between clients could be an issue

·         That these changes to the practice of commissioning HBC services would improve delivery.

RESOLVED:

1.         That approval be given to change the practice of commissioning HBC services to “Awarded Provider Status”.

2.         That a report be taken to Cabinet for approval of any additional non-budgeted expenditure resulting from the planned implementation of the new framework, including proposals for any harmonisation of legacy rates.

Reasons for Decisions:

The existing HBC provision agreements expire on 30 September 2017 and given the above factors set out in the summary ASC in conjunction with Procurement made the decision to plan to re-commission the service.  By taking this opportunity ASC can update the service specification and agreements to offer residents an improved service and be able to respond more flexibly and quickly to a fluid HBC market.