Issue - meetings

Report of the Director of Public Health.

The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Public Health indicating that in April 2018 the Living Well Sefton Service (LWS) was awarded a contract to provide community-based health and wellbeing services to people living in the most deprived areas of Sefton. The contract was awarded for 3 years with an option to extend for a further 2 years. The current contract had a period of April 2018 to March 2022, plus an option of 2 further years.

In compliance with the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules and dictated by the value associated with the proposed optional 2 years, approval was required from the Cabinet to approve the award for the optional 2-year contract period and retain the contracted service until March 2024, as outlined in the current contract.

Consideration was now required on exercising continuation options as the initial 3-year award within the main contract was due to expire on 31March 2022.

Decision Made:

That authority be granted to exercise the option to extend the current contract for a period of two years from 1April 2022 to 31 March 2024.

Reasons for the Decision:

The current contract is from 1 April 2018 to 31March 2022, with the option to extend for a further 2 years.  Approval is sought by Cabinet to extend the current commission of the LWS Service by an additional two years to March 2024.

This option would provide the following:

·       a longer period of service stability and continuity

·       essential pandemic support

·       recovery support

·       enhanced focus on health improvement issues such as obesity, mental health and lifestyle behaviours which have been negatively impacted during the pandemic

·       opportunity to enhance the partnership and whole system approach

·       opportunity to develop integrated pathways such as the obesity pathway through the Integrated Care System (ICS) whilst maintaining local early intervention and prevention and maintenance of healthy weight. This would enable robust clinical and non-clinical pathway development through the ICS

·       reduced costs to the Council from engaging in a procurement exercise

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

The available options are:

i)      Exercise one-year extension / continuation option. This option would provide a degree of continuity and stability. However, any continuity / stability derived from exercising this option would be limited to twelve months at which point the Council would still need to consider exercising the second extension / continuation option or re-tender the service.

ii)     Conducting a full procurement exercise would not bring about any significant benefits for Sefton Council or for users for the LWS service.

(Councillor Doyle left the Meeting for the following item of business)