Issue - meetings

To meet both current and future needs of customers and secure the long term sustainability of services:

1.    That the formal exploration of the benefits of establishing a Local Authority Trading Company (LATC) for in-house services be approved in principle, including:

·      Day Services for people with learning disabilities and physical disabilities

·      AboutUs Accessible Learning Team

·      EmployAbility

·      Shared Lives Service

·      Personalisation Team

·      New services to be developed to meet projected demand.

2.    That a more detailed business case be submitted for Cabinet approval in December 2013, including an Equalities Impact Assessment and plans for formal consultation.

Reasons for Decisions

Initial financial analysis indicates that the LATC model offers a potential financial benefit to the Council; derived from the recovery of costs of service delivery and sustained growth with a corresponding income stream to the Council over the next five years.

This structure would also facilitate innovation and the development of new services to meet the needs of a wider range of potential customers, not restricted to those assessed as eligible for Council support, and through the retention of a skilled, experienced, and valued workforce as part of a strong Surrey County Council provider brand.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Adult Social Care Select Committee]

The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care informed Members that, in response to the 2012 Learning Disability Public Value Review (PVR) and the Council’s Learning Disability Commissioning Strategy, Adult Social Care was exploring how in-house services could be further developed to support the personalisation agenda.

This report presented part of Adult Social Care’s response to the challenges and built on the Cabinet decision of 26 March 2013 to support innovative models of service delivery, including trading (‘Strengthening the Council’s Approach to Innovation: Models of Delivery’). The report considered options for the future provision of day and community support services for working age and older adults with disabilities. Three options were assessed:

1.    stay “as is”

2.    de-commission services and re-commission in the market

3.    adopt a different model of delivery.

He said that the preferred option was option 3 and a more detailed business case would be submitted to Cabinet in December 2013.

RESOLVED:

To meet both current and future needs of customers and secure the long term sustainability of services:

1.    That the formal exploration of the benefits of establishing a Local Authority Trading Company (LATC) for in-house services be approved in principle, including:

·      Day Services for people with learning disabilities and physical disabilities

·      AboutUs Accessible Learning Team

·      EmployAbility

·      Shared Lives Service

·      Personalisation Team

·      New services to be developed to meet projected demand.

2.    That a more detailed business case be submitted for Cabinet approval in December 2013, including an Equalities Impact Assessment and plans for formal consultation.

Reasons for Decisions

Initial financial analysis indicates that the LATC model offers a potential financial benefit to the Council; derived from the recovery of costs of service delivery and sustained growth with a corresponding income stream to the Council over the next five years.

This structure would also facilitate innovation and the development of new services to meet the needs of a wider range of potential customers, not restricted to those assessed as eligible for Council support, and through the retention of a skilled, experienced, and valued workforce as part of a strong Surrey County Council provider brand.