Issue - meetings

Report of the Executive Director - Adult Social Care, Health and Wellbeing (Place Director)

The Cabinet considered the report of the Executive Director - Adult Social Care, Health and Wellbeing (Place Director) that sought approval to extend existing Day Opportunities contracts.

A request was made for the contracts extension to be made in consultation with the Cabinet Member – Adult Social Care and Deputy Leader.

Decisions Made:

That

(1)      the extension of existing Day opportunities contracts for a maximum twelve-month period from 1^st October 2024, consisting of an initial six-month extension with the option to extend for a further six-month period, be approved and the Executive Director Adult Social Care, Health and Wellbeing, in consultation with the Cabinet Member – Adult Social Care and Deputy Leader, be authorised to approve any extensions beyond the initial six-month extension period; and

(1)           the ongoing work outlined in the report regarding the establishment of longer-term commissioning arrangements for Day Opportunities be noted.

Reasons for the Decisions:

1.       Day services were places and opportunities for supporting people with an assessed need during the day. They could be offered within a building-based location or within the community.

2        They helped people to have a fulfilling life: they provided the opportunity to take part in various interests and activities, make friends, develop relationships, gain new skills and enabled people to make a positive contribution to the community. Day opportunities also provided support to carers by means of creating respite so that they could pursue their own interests outside of their caring role.

3        Sefton Adult Social Care currently had thirteen contracts in place with Providers and in September 2023 the Cabinet approved the extension of these interim contracts for a further twelve months whilst a procurement exercise was being formulated.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

Not extending contracts – this option was rejected as there was a need to ensure that formal contractual arrangements remained in place, despite the historic nature of these contracts. The Council sought to manage and mitigate this by commencing a procurement exercise for a new commissioning framework. The six-month extension was intended to allow the Council time to run a compliant procurement process.