Issue - meetings

Report of the Director of Public Health

The Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Health and Wellbeing which provided details of key findings of the review of the Integrated Sexual Health Service in Sefton, which indicated that the current Integrated Sexual Health Service contract would expire at the end of June 2017, and a decision must be made by the end of December 2016, at the latest, on whether the contract extension clause would be activated or the Service re-procured. This would provide Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust with the required minimum 6 months’ notice period.

Decision Made:

That approval be given to an extension clause being activated within the existing contract for 12 months until 30th June 2018.

Reasons for Decision:

The contract was originally awarded for 3 years, from 1 July 2014, with the option to activate an extension clause for a further 12 months on two occasions (3+1+1).

The Key reasons for an activation of the contract extension clause for a twelve month period are:

·                Service provider performance had been consistently meeting or exceeding targets set by the commissioner;

·                To avoid destabilisation of a high priority service through introducing uncertainty through re-procurement;

·                To give the current provider the financial stability needed to further develop the fully integrated offer for all ages in the Bootle area; and

·                To allow better alignment of the Service with the outcome of the Council’s forthcoming review of the medium term financial plan.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

To re-procure the Sexual Health Service with a contract start date of 1 July 2017, with delegated authority to the Cabinet Member - Health and Wellbeing to sign-off the commissioning and re-procurement decisions.

The reasons for the rejection of this option are:

·         Financial costs associated with re-procurement;

·         Potential need for start-up costs if provider changed;

·         Limited number of potential providers to tender;

·         Potential negative impact on service users if current Service is destabilised through uncertainty of re-tendering; and

·         Impact on service users and key stakeholders of potentially changing provider.