Agenda item

Purpose of report: Scrutiny of Services and Budgets and Performance Management

The Committee has requested an update on the Home Based Care Tender that was awarded from 1 October 2014.

Witnesses:

Ian Lyall, Senior Category Specialist, Adult Social Care

Kirsty Malak, Assistant Senior Manager, Adult Social Care

Declarations of interest: None

Key points raised during the discussion:

1.    The Senior Category Specialist (SCS) provided a brief introduction to the report advising the Committee that contracts have been placed jointly with NHS Surrey Downs CCG with nine strategic providers across 18 zones across Surrey with pre-specified volume levels each provider will expect to receive so they can plan accordingly. The Assistant Senior Manager (ASM) indicated that the contracts have been progressing well and that a good working relationship has been established with each of the strategic providers. The ASM further highlighted that contract Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) were monitored electronically and that performance against these KPIs are linked to financial repatriation.

2.    Members were further informed that a process has been initiated to work with any qualified provider for the delivery of home based care when needed and that 163 expressions of interest have so far been received from this process. The SCS advised that a rigorous process of ensuring that interested providers were fit to provide home-based care for residents would take place before establishing the number of service users that each of the successful providers would give home based care to.

3.    The Committee drew attention to the fact that more than one provider has been contracted to operate in certain zones and asked for clarification on why this was. The SCS advised that this was in response to the volume of demand in certain areas and it was felt that more than one provider was required to meet the demand for home-based care in that area. Members were informed that in areas with more than one provider operating, they are working in tandem and in conjunction with locality teams to ensure that demand for home-based care is met.

4.    Members asked whether the introduction of the Care Act would have an impact on home-based care. The ASM indicated that the Care Act will have implications for the delivery of home-based care but that the full impact will not become apparent until next year but that they would work closely with the Care Act team to understand what the full implications of the new legislation will be but that a dramatic change in the level of demand is not anticipated.

5.    The Director of Surrey Coalition of Disabled People asked about choice of home-based care providers for residents who live in an area covered by only one provider. The SCS highlighted that this would be addressed through the ‘any qualified provider’ scheme which would offer choice to residents in areas only covered by one strategic provider as well as picking up any additional demand.

6.    Members asked for more detail on electronic monitoring and what this would pick up. The SCS stated that strategic providers were using equipment to monitor and report back on their own performance at present but that work was being conducted with software developers to create a programme for monitoring performance against KPIs centrally. The ASM informed the Committee that customer surveys were also taking place to explore customer experience against the perspective of providers to assess and review the performance of these providers

Recommendations:

·         That the Committee note the report.

·         The Committee to review results of the customer feedback survey which is currently being analysed by Business Intelligence at a future meeting.

Actions/ further information to be provided:

None

Committee next steps:

None