Agenda item

Report of Corporate Director Children and Adults.

Clare Gilbert, Lead Commissioning Manager, presented the report of the Corporate Director of Children and Adults to the Sub-Committee, highlighting the following points:

(a)  Following the decommissioning of the Hucknall House residential respite service, a replacement service will be commissioned.

(b)  The proposals will allow additional capacity and increased flexibility, and will cover any potential transitional period whilst the Hucknall House service is phased out.

(c)  Carers and service providers have been widely consulted on forming the specifications for the new service provision.

(d)  Individual bed commissioning would not allow any long term security. There is a slight risk of over-procurement, but it is not considered significant.

Following questions and comments from the Sub-Committee, additional information was provided:

(e)  All service users have been met, and will have a named Social Worker throughout the transition.

(f)  Figures have been based on the highest levels of service need. As a result, the proposals should result in an under spend, and represent value for money.

(g)  There will be some leeway with regards to negotiating a reduction in capacity, by up to 10%. This will minimise the over-procurement risk.

(h)  There is a 6 month lead-in time, during which time other service users may come forward who need respite care.

RESOLVED to:

(1)  approve the commissioning and procurement of residential respite provision for people with learning disabilities;

(2)  delegate authority to the Director of Early Intervention to approve the outcome of the tender and award contracts, and to the Head of Quality and Efficiency to sign contracts arising from the tender process once the tender outcome is agreed;

(3)  note that approval to spend is gained through the Scheme of Delegation 273 within Part 2 of the Constitution;

(4)  approve transitional funding for current users of the Hucknall House service who transfer to respite provision in advance of October 2015.

Reasons for Decision

(1)  New provision is required to meet the needs of the current users of Hucknall House as well as to address the deficit in the provision of residential respite. Tendering the service will ensure compliance with the Council’s Financial Regulations and Contract Procedure Rules and will enable best value for money to be secured through undertaking a competitive market process.

(2)  The current number of overnight respite commissioned is 989 overnight stays for 18 families. It is proposed to increase this to 1,100 spaces with the potential to purchase additional capacity at the same overnight rate in recognition of this shortfall in respite need, particularly for young people transitioning into the system.

(3)  In order for social workers to be able to ensure smooth transition of respite arrangements, to have sufficient capacity to support the families through transition and to find the most appropriate resource for each individual, some individuals will need to be transferred before the end of the current contract on 30 September 2015. As the current Hucknall House Service is block funded, this will require additional funding to facilitate this process.

Other Options Considered

(1)  Do nothing: There is currently very little appropriate respite provision available. The provision of respite is vital in providing appropriate support for families who are providing support for families who are committed to caring for individuals with high level needs. A lack of respite provision is likely to lead to carer break down. This would mean that the citizens currently supported would require to be permanently accommodated by the city council.

(2)  Commission beds on an individual basis: Whilst this would have the advantage of determining exact level of provision required and costing each individual placement based on level of need, it would not provide any market stability. Due to the intermittent nature of respite use throughout the year, there would be no incentive for providers to guarantee a long term respite place. This would then mean lack of consistency for citizens and their families which would undermine the effectiveness of the respite break.

(3)  Commission a different number of respite beds: Analysis does indicate that there is a lack of appropriate respite beds which could lead to carer breakdown. However, it is difficult to predict the level of provision required. If too many respite beds are purchased, this could lead to the service being under utilised which would represent a financial loss to the council. The specification does incorporate the option for the council to purchase up to 15% additional capacity at the same rate if the need exceeds the number of specified respite nights that have been commissioned.