Issue - meetings

To receive a report from the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and the Corporate Director of Social Care, Health and Wellbeing and to consider and endorse or make recommendations to the Cabinet Member on the proposed decision to agree to continue, for some contracted providers, service provision on the existing terms and conditions through to 31 May 2019, and, for other contracted providers, where mutual negotiation can be agreed, to award varied interim contracts through to 31 May 2019.

1.            Mr Lobban introduced the report and explained that, although the two services covered in this and the next agenda item were parts of a larger programme of community service delivery, the proposed treatment of the two services would require separate key decisions. He set out the main issues affecting the delivery of home care services nationally, including workforce issues (staff terms and conditions, travel to clients and competition from other local employers), and the need to integrate and align social care and NHS services.  These issues had prompted a review of the way in which the services were to be delivered.  The current proposals were part of phase three of the County Council’s transformation programme, and would be helped by the additional funding made available nationally to support social care services.  It was proposed that the County Council continue to contract with its current providers until May 2019, at which time the re-modelled services would be ready to re-tender. This delay would allow time to tackle the workforce issues.

2.            Mr Lobban, Mr Ireland and Mrs Tidmarsh then responded to comments and questions from Members, including the following:-

a)    a view was expressed that, as part of a sustainable employment market, zero-hour contracts were a welcome choice for some workers, and so should be offered as an option, alongside full-time and permanent contracts.  Mr Lobban reiterated that the current plans allowed for workforce issues to be examined as a whole.  This would present a challenge but would bring long-term benefits; 

b)    in response to a question about how the home care market could tackle the issue of many older people being lonely rather than being in need of any specific care services, Mr Lobban explained that this could be addressed when reviewing the provision of Domiciliary  Care as part of the service re-model. Applying national trends, it had been estimated that, in Kent, some 30,000 older people were isolated from neighbours and family, and establishing initiatives to help them keep in touch was an important area of work.  Mr Ireland added that the Care Act of 2014 had broadened the definition of ‘eligible needs’ to include emotional as well as practical needs;

c)    the need to achieve consistency of care was emphasised, so an older person would know whom to expect to arrive at their home and would be able to build a rapport with that person;

d)    the extent of  work invested in innovating and finding the best model of care provision was acknowledged, but concern expressed that the delay in finalising NHS Sustainability Transformation Plans (STPs) would mean they would not be as helpful as they could be in supporting this agenda;

e)    in response to a question about the danger of contractors being unable to fulfil their contractual obligations, and what would happen in this instance, Mr Ireland explained that the ultimate responsibility to provide services for those who needed them rested with the County Council, and if a contractor were to default on a contract  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8

To receive a report from the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and the Corporate Director of Social Care, Health and Wellbeing and to consider and endorse or make recommendations to the Cabinet Member on the proposed decision to agree to continue service provision on the existing, or varied, terms and conditions to 31 May 2019, and, for other contracted providers, where mutual negotiation can be agreed, to award varied interim contracts through to 31 May 2019.

1.            Mr Lobban introduced the item and explained that this proposed continuation was also part of phase three of the transformation agenda, and was being presented for the same reasons as the Homecare service.  The Supporting Independence Service was also affected by the same workforce issues as set out in the previous item. It was proposed that the County Council continue to contract with its current providers until May 2019, at which time the remodelled services would be ready to re-tender. This delay would allow time to tackle the workforce issues. This issue was also the subject of a pilot scheme currently running in Canterbury, working with service users to help them identify and set achievable goals and to monitor their progress, and to look at how services could best be integrated with those of the NHS. Mr Lobban explained that the use of Canterbury for both pilot schemes was coincidental and that projects were not area-specific. When required, a pilot would be allocated to whichever of the four transformation teams was able to run it, and the Canterbury team happened to be doing the two mentioned. 

2.         RESOLVED that the decision proposed to be taken by the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, to:-

a)     agree to continue service provision on the existing, or varied, terms and conditions through to 31 May 2019, and, for other contracted providers, where mutual negotiation can be agreed, to award varied interim contracts through to 31 May 2019;

b)  delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Social Care, Health and Wellbeing, or other nominated officer, to undertake the necessary actions to implement the decision; and

b)     authorise officers to commence market engagement in readiness for the full procurement process, where required,

be endorsed.

The Chairman referred to the additional item which had been published after the main agenda and asked Members if, in considering it, they wished to refer to the information included in the exempt appendix to it.  Members confirmed that they did wish to refer to this information and, accordingly, the item was considered in closed session at the end of the meeting. It is covered in  minute 17, below.