DECISION

1.    To authorise the Corporate Director Health Adults and Communities and Deputy Chief Executive to agree with the existing providers to extend the current contracts to ensure continuity of services to protect vulnerable people until the 31 December 2023 in order to recommission, procure and mobilise the newly procured contracts aligned to the Administration priorities. During the one-year contract extension, the Council will invite new providers (especially small and/or specialist providers) to provide spot care or to offer services to those residents who are commissioning their own care through personal budget arrangements.

Action by:

CORPORATE DIRECTOR HEALTH ADULTS AND COMMUNITIES AND DEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVE (D. RADLEY)

Interim Head of Service- Ageing Well, Integrated Commissioning (B. Gladstone)

Councillor Gulam Kibria Choudhury, Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Social Care introduced the amended report which proposed the extension of existing contractual arrangements for the provision of homecare services for adults to 31 December 2023. Councillor Choudhury explained the proposals would help to enable adults with complex needs to continue to live within the community.

The Cabinet noted that a new procurement exercise was to be undertaken in 2023 and asked that smaller providers are provided opportunity to bid. Members felt that increasing competition in this way would deliver better value for money. Members also felt the Council had a role to empower smaller providers, who sometimes lost out to big players in the care industry.

The Mayor welcomed the report, though asked that the new procurement process is concluded as swiftly as possible and that it include opportunities for new and smaller providers to bid. Following discussion, he agreed the recommendations as set out in the amended report.

RESOLVED

1.    To authorise the Corporate Director Health Adults and Communities and Deputy Chief Executive to agree with the existing providers to extend the current contracts to ensure continuity of services to protect vulnerable people until the 31 December 2023 in order to recommission, procure and mobilise the newly procured contracts aligned to the Administration priorities. During the one-year contract extension, the Council will invite new providers (especially small and/or specialist providers) to provide spot care or to offer services to those residents who are commissioning their own care through personal budget arrangements.