DECISION

Regarding in-clinic integrated sexual and reproductive health services to:

1. Agree to enter into a collaborative commissioning process together with Newham, Waltham Forest and Redbridge to secure a joint contract, with participating boroughs as named parties, for the provision of clinical Integrated sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services; with the details of the contract to be based on agreements with the collaborating boroughs and as set out in paragraphs 3.27-3.37: a 5-year contract with the option for a further 3 terms of one year each, the Council being able to choose whether or not to take part in these extensions. The contract will have an estimated maximum total contract value over 8 years for Tower Hamlets of £30,988,015. This would be funded from the public health grant.

2. Authorise the Director of Public Health to enter into a contract with the selected provider following the joint procurement set out in recommendation 1, and to make relevant amendments to baselines or tariffs, following consultation with the Mayor, Lead Member for Health, Wellbeing and Social Care, Head of the Legal Services, and Chief Financial Officer.

3. Authorise the Director of Public Health to enter Tower Hamlets as a named third party into contracts with SRH services elsewhere in London, in order to enable cross-charging using the advantageous London Integrated Sexual Health Tarriff where our residents use those services, in consultation with the Lead Member for Health, Wellbeing and Social Care.

Regarding the online London sexual health e-service SHL.UK to:

4. Approve the continued intention to commission the London sexual health and contraceptive e-service, SHL.UK from 2026.

5. Agree for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets to be named as a Related Authority when the service is reprocured by the Lead Authority, City of London Corporation, in 2025.

6. Approve the LB Tower Hamlets’ participation in the procurement of a new contract for the provision of the London sexual health and contraception e-service, as set out in paragraphs 3.48-3.55. The contract will be for an initial period of 5 years from 2026/27 to 2031/32, with the option for two further periods of two years each, the Council being able to choose whether or not to take part in these extensions. The Council’s proportion of the total contract spend over the nine years will be based on activity levels, which are estimated to be in the range of £1.1m to £1.4m per annum, or a combined total of £11m over 9 years.

Authorise the Director of Public Health to sign the Inter-authority agreement (IAA) with City of London Corporation, and after the procurement exercise to enter into a contract with the service supplier for provision of services for residents of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, following consultation with the Mayor, Lead Member for Health, Wellbeing and Social Care, Head of the Legal Services, and Chief Financial Officer.

Action by

CORPORATE DIRECTOR ADULT SOCIAL CARE (S. BANERJEE)

Associate Director For Public Health – Healthy Adults (L. Crosby)

Councillor Gulam Kibria Choudhury, Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Social Care introduced the report that sought Mayor in Cabinet approval to grant permission to commission in-clinic integrated Sexual and Reproductive Health services (“All East”) collaboratively with other North East London boroughs, and to enter into collaborative arrangements and joint contracts to ensure the continued provision of high value, cost-effective in-clinic services to LBTH residents; and to  grant permission for continued involvement in pan-London commissioning arrangements of the online London sexual health and contraceptive e-service (“SHL.UK”), which is an integral part of the London SRH service system.

The Mayor welcomed the report, though indicated that he wished for the Council to undertake performance reviews after the initial 5-year contract term in each case. He instructed officers that the Council must only enter into these contracts if they include an option for the Council to unilaterally withdraw following their performance review after year 5.

RESOLVED that the Mayor in Cabinet

Regarding in-clinic integrated sexual and reproductive health services:

1. Agrees to enter into a collaborative commissioning process together with Newham, Waltham Forest and Redbridge to secure a joint contract, with participating boroughs as named parties, for the provision of clinical Integrated sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services; with the details of the contract to be based on agreements with the collaborating boroughs and as set out in paragraphs 3.27-3.37 of the report: a 5-year contract with the option for a further 3 terms of one year each, the Council being able to choose whether or not to take part in these extensions. The contract will have an estimated maximum total contract value over 8 years for Tower Hamlets of £30,988,015. This would be funded from the public health grant.

2. Authorises the Director of Public Health to enter into a contract with the selected provider following the joint procurement set out in recommendation 1, and to make relevant amendments to baselines or tariffs, following consultation with the Mayor, Lead Member for Health, Wellbeing and Social Care, Head of the Legal Services, and Chief Financial Officer.

3. Authorises the Director of Public Health to enter Tower Hamlets as a named third party into contracts with SRH services elsewhere in London, in order to enable cross-charging using the advantageous London Integrated Sexual Health Tarriff where our residents use those services, in consultation with the Lead Member for Health, Wellbeing and Social Care.

Regarding the online London sexual health e-service SHL.UK:

4. Approves the continued intention to commission the London sexual health and contraceptive e-service, SHL.UK from 2026.

5. Agrees for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets to be named as a Related Authority when the service is reprocured by the Lead Authority, City of London Corporation, in 2025.

6. Approves the LB Tower Hamlets’ participation in the procurement of a new contract for the provision of the London sexual health and contraception e-service, as set out in paragraphs 3.48-3.55 of the report. The contract will be for an initial period of 5 years from 2026/27 to 2031/32, with the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6