Decision details

Reason for the Decision:

Kent County Council has a statutory responsibility under The Care Act 2014 to deliver access to support and information for unpaid Carers, older people (over 55 years) and people with complex issues/frailty (under 55 years). The Council meets this duty through the provision of its Carers’ Short Breaks Services.

The Carers’ Short Breaks Contract commenced in April 2018, as an initial interim contract. It is currently in an extension period via a previous Decision to Direct Award. Following this decision, the contract is currently due to end on 31 March 2023. There are currently no provisions to extend this contract. The proposals for an additional one-year contract with the incumbent provider via a Direct Award, to run from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, will allow time for Commissioners to explore options for the future recommissioning strategy for this service from April 2024.

Kent County Council has recently completed significant engagement in developing and launching a new Carers Strategy, setting the strategic direction for Carers Support for the next five years. The Kent Carers’ Strategy 2022-2027 ensures a commitment to working together to ensure essential roles are valued, supported and people’s lives maintained and valued.

The proposed decision supports the New Models of Care Support priorities of ‘‘Framing Kent’s Future – Our Council Strategy 2022 – 2026’ of:

·         reshaping our commissioning practice to ensure we build strategic partnerships with our providers, through earlier engagement, more consistent and proactive commissioning practice, and a stronger focus on co-designing services

·         seizing the opportunity of integrating our planning, commissioning and decision making in adult, children’s, and public health services through being a partner in the Kent and Medway Integrated Care System at place and system level

In consideration of this proposal the following options were considered and discarded:

·         Option 1: Direct Award the contract for 12 months

·         Option 2: Reprocure the contract within a short timeframe

·         Option 3: Split the contract into smaller geographical locations and reprocure within a short timeframe

·         Option 4: End the contract on 31 March 2023

In consideration of Option 4, whilst it is recognised that ending these contracts could deliver a significant saving to the Council, ending the contract was dismissed at this point for the following reasons:

·         Loss of current support to vulnerable people

·         People accessing the contract may fall into crisis resulting in a high financial pressure on Kent County Council operational services (negates possible benefit of saving on the contract value)

·         Increased isolation and loneliness to unpaid Carers.

·         Statutory duties non-compliance under the Care Act 2014.

Splitting the contract into smaller geographical locations (Option 3) and reprocuring within a shorter timeframe was dismissed, owing to a lack of clarity as to funding without scope of the redesign, long term Integrated Care Board (ICB) funding sustainability, workforce implications, and the additional pressures on Adults Strategic Commissioning resource.

Option 2 was disregarded owing for similar reasons to Option 3.

As Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, I agree to:

a)    APPROVE a Direct Award contract for a period of twelve months for Carers’ Short Breaks, from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, in accordance with the relevant justifications set out in Regulation 32 of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 and

b)    DELEGATE authority to the Corporate Director Adult Social Care and Health to take relevant actions, including but not limited to finalising the terms of and entering into required contracts or other legal agreements, as necessary to implement the decision.