Issue - meetings

Report of the Executive Director of Adult Social Care and Health.

The Cabinet considered the report of the Executive Director of Adult Social Care and Health in relation to commissioning Domiciliary Care Services in Sefton and to commence a full procurement exercise based upon the development of a strategic plan around quality, sufficiency and workforce impact over the next 3 to 5 years.

Decision Made:      That:

(1)       the Executive Director of Adult Social Care and Health be delegated and authorised to undertake, as required based on an analysis of associated market risks, any required procurement exercises to safely manage the Domiciliary Care market and to mitigate any future risks of market failure. Once a Domiciliary Care Strategy is developed and further consideration of any new purchasing arrangements are better understood, details will be brought back to Cabinet for relevant decisions needed beyond this time frame;

(2)       due to the need for urgent responses to manage the current market risks the Executive Director of Adult Social Care and Healthbe granted delegated authority in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and the Executive Director of Corporate Resources and Customer Services to make decisions with regards to contractual arrangements, service specifications, costs, the awarding of contracts and their durations, including any extension periods to the initial core contract period; and

(3)       the Executive Director of Adult Social Care and Health be granted delegated authority in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and the Executive Director of Corporate Resources and Customer Services, to make decisions on the strategic approach to the commissioning of Domiciliary Care Services based on a new Sefton Domiciliary Care Market Strategy. The proposed Strategy will be recommended to Cabinet for approval in due course.

Reasons for the Decisions:

To ensure that commissioning arrangements for the provision of Domiciliary Care within Sefton are in place to meet the assessed need of Sefton’s residents.

To ensure that both the immediate and longer-term strategic approaches to market sufficiency, safety and sustainability are in place in a timely manner and mitigate risks of market failure.

To develop a cohesive and inclusive Commissioning and Market Management Strategy to ensure that the longer term needs and risks of the market are further understood and can be used to develop new commissioning arrangements which will support sustainability and market sufficiency aligned to the Adult Social Care Vision. 

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

The following options were considered and rejected;

·       Maintaining the status quo –

This is to continue and extend the current arrangements with Knowsley Council and continue with a purchasing system established in 2018 through a tender exercise led by Knowsley Council. This is not considered a viable option because of the emerging market risks connected to the social care workforce.

The option to develop local purchasing and commissioning arrangements will be explored to ensure that Sefton is assured of local sufficiency and stability. The approach will be developed as part of a 3 to 5-year Commissioning and Market Management Strategy for Domiciliary Care.