Agenda item

Report of the Director of Public Health

The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Public Health that sought approval for the following:

·       To undertake a tender process to recommission the Living Well Sefton Community Service (LWS) with intention to contract the service for a 3-year core contract period commencing 1 April 2024, with the option to extend for a further two, one-year extensions.

·       To undertake a tender process to recommission the Specialist Stop Smoking Service ‘Smokefree Sefton’, for a 3-year core contract period commencing 1 April 2024, with the option to extend for a further two, one-year extensions.

·       To give delegated authority for the Director of Public Health in consultation with the Cabinet Member - Health and Wellbeing to authorise a waiver to recommission a specialist stop smoking in pregnancy midwife based at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, for a 3-year core contract period commencing 1 April2024, with the option to extend for a further two, one-year extensions. The total expenditure for the 5-year potential contract period will not exceed the Light Touch Regime threshold.

·       For the Director of Public Health in consultation with the Cabinet Member - Health and Wellbeing to be granted delegated authority to award the contracts resulting from the procurement and waiver processes and to award any extension options available.

The report set out the background to the matter and an Equality Impact Assessment was attached to the report.

Decision(s) Made:

That the Director of Public Health:

(1)      be authorised to undertake a Find a Tender Service (FTS) Light Touch Regime tender exercise for Living Well Sefton Community Service to run for a period of three years from 1 April 2024 with the option of two further one-year extensions;

(2)      be authorised to conduct an FTS Light Touch Regime tender exercise for the Specialist Stop Smoking Service ‘Smokefree Sefton’ to run for a period of three years from 1April 2024 with the option of two further one-year extensions;

(3)           be granted delegated authority, in consultation with the Cabinet Member - Health and Wellbeing to award the contracts resulting from the procurement and to award any extension thereof; and

(4)      be granted delegated authority, in consultation with the Cabinet Member - Health and Wellbeing, to waive the contract procedure rules and make a direct award to Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, for the contract of a dedicated stop smoking pregnancy midwife for 3 years from 1 April 2024, with the option of two further one-year extensions.

Reasons for the Decision(s):

1.             The current contracts would expire on 31March 2024.

2.             The local authority public health team had responsibility to drive an early intervention and agenda, specifically targeting areas of inequality, to improve local population health outcomes.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

1)    To work with the existing providers to further develop services to meet the new specification and emerging needs of local people in Sefton, this was a universal service though interventions were specifically targeted in areas of highest need.

Establishment of the ‘Provider Selection Regime’ was subject to Parliamentary approval and final formulation of the regulations by government. Therefore, the Council was bound by existing procurement legislation.

The current procurement system for healthcare services was governed by two pieces of legislation.

• The Public Contracts Regulations (PCR 2015)
• The Procurement, Patient Choice, and Competition Regulations 2013 (PPCCR2013)

2)    Cease service delivery - Rejected based on reputational and financial risk to the authority by the potential failure to perform its statutory duty to deliver public health services that address the health needs of the local population and tackle health inequalities.

Furthermore, the lack of specialist provision for smoking cessation would have a significant negative impact on continuing higher rates of smoking-related illness in economically disadvantaged groups would continue to perpetuate health inequalities in long term conditions, especially lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.