Issue - meetings

To receive a report from the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health and the Corporate Director of Social Care, Health and Wellbeing on the progress to date to establish new contracts for nursing and residential care homes from 1 April 2016, in line with the end of the current contracts, and to seek comments or recommendations relating to the Cabinet Member decisions that will be required in due course.

Ms C Holden, Head of Commissioning (Accommodation Solutions), was in attendance for this item.

1.            Ms Holden introduced the report and explained the changes which were being proposed to the contract, and the context for those changes.  She responded to comments and questions from Members, as follows:-

a)    the decision would be taken in two stages; the guide price would be determined in November and the contract awarded in February. Demand and price would need to be balanced, and this would take much analysis; and

b)    a forecast of the impact of the changes would be that fewer people would require a residential or nursing placement but those who did would have a greater dependency.

2.            The Cabinet Member, Mr G K Gibbens, assured Members that, although he would be taking the first decision (about guide price) before the committee next met in early December, all Members would have an opportunity to see and comment on the proposed decision, as part of the County Council’s usual decision-making process. He urged all Members to take the opportunity to read the proposed decision paperwork when it was published and sent to them.

3.            RESOLVED that the work on this issue to date be endorsed and continue to the decision stage, as set out in the report.