Decision details

The Cabinet considered the report on the Director of Social Care and Health which indicated that the current NHS and Local Authority Community Equipment Store operates under a Section 75 Partnership Agreement between Sefton Council and Liverpool Community Health Trust under the National Health Act 2006; and that the Council and NHS had to consider how this service is best designed and provided for in the future.

The report set out proposals in respect of the current agreement, which is due to end on the 31 March 2016, in the context of ensuring the ongoing provision of this valuable service and the timetable for succession / replacement of the current NHS Community Services provider.

Decision Made: That:

(1)       approval be given to the implementation of a new Section 75 Agreement with Liverpool Community Health Trust for the provision of a Community Equipment Store for the period 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017; and

(2)       the Director of Social Care and Health be authorised to commission a new Community Equipment Service with effect from 1 April 2017.

Reasons for Decision:

Community equipment services play a vital role in supporting people of all ages to develop their full potential and to maintain their health, well-being and independence. Community equipment services are crucial to support;

·         Reducing community acquired pressure ulcer incidents

·         Supporting increasingly more complex discharges from hospital

·         Supporting the End of Life pathway

·         Supporting hospital admission avoidance

·         Maintaining independence in the community

The operating costs of the present Community Equipment Store are jointly funded by Sefton’s Clinical Commissioning Groups and the Council and run by Liverpool Community Health Services under a Section 75 partnership agreement with Sefton Council. Equipment budgets do not form part of the agreement, these costs are charged separately and directly to the appropriate organisation.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

This service is required to provide essential health and wellbeing services. If these specialist services were to cease or become unavailable to Sefton residents this would have a major impact on the quality of life for the individuals concerned and on the health and care system as a whole.

The other options considered were:

·         to commence an immediate procurement exercise to replace the existing service from 1 April 2016 - this option was not considered favourable due to the extremely tight timescale, the plans and timescales for replacement of the current NHS community services provider and because a procurement exercise would be more effective as an outcome of a comprehensive review of the current services and consideration of more effective, innovative, integrated and cost-effective ways of delivering the required outcomes. Some of the possible alternatives to be considered in identifying the best future service model, would involve developing a completely different service offer, merger of services currently delivered by different organisations and potentially completely different business models, consequently this review would be quite complex and needs sufficient time to undertake properly.

·         Delivering the service in-house – the current service was largely staffed by Sefton Council employees and operates from a building that is leased by Sefton Council (the lease runs until 2017). There may be some TUPE implications related to the small number of NHS employees involved in delivery of the service and clinical oversight of the NHS elements of the service would need to be resolved. However, the key reason for rejection of this option at this point in time is the same as the above, that it is important to first determine the best future service model rather than simply re-procuring or internalising the existing service model.