Agenda item

(1)      The Chairman of the Select Committee welcomed the Head of Strategic Commissioning, Adult Community Support Services, Emma Hanson, to the meeting and Members in attendance introduced themselves.

(2)      Emma had received questions and themes that the Select Committee was investigating in preparation for the meeting.  A copy of her response was included in the papers and considered by the Select Committee.

(3)      Emma explained that the portfolio for Adult Community Support Services commissioned services were for the following adult client groups; older people, people with physical disabilities, people with learning disability, people with mental health needs, people with autism and people with sensory disabilities. The services were designed to support and enable people to live as independent as possible lives in their own homes in the community.  This was done through Homecare contracts with the majority of the provision provided by the private and voluntary sector. There were now well established integrated commissioning groups (CCGs) whose focus was looking for opportunities to jointly commission support services.

(4)      The three distinct teams; Children’s commissioning, Adult Community Support Services and Adult Accommodation Solutions all worked connectively.

Question: Costs of Entry – Voluntary Agencies have consistently raised concerns about the high costs involved in tendering, how can we mitigate these costs?

(5)      Emma acknowledged that some organisations had to employ bid writers or write themselves with little expertise.  She had worked on creating a draft service specification headed “Adult Social Care Voluntary Sector Market Development Service” and recently submitted the document to the Departmental Management Team (DMT) and officers from the CCGs for discussion.   The specification aimed to support the providers and develop their skills.  Emma tabled the draft document and asked Members to forward their views on the draft document to her. Hopefully it will remove barriers. Emma advised that this document, when approved, [This document was urgently required in Adult Community Support Service] could be slightly amended to fit other services in the future.  She had already spoken with Henry Swan and Meradin Peachey and David Whittle about moving this forward.

(6)      The Chairman of the Select Committee hoped that the specification of the draft document would be informed by the Select Committee’s recommendations.

Question: is there a lack of understanding of autism or awareness of need?

(7)      Emma agreed there was a lack of understanding and awareness regarding autism.  She considered that the Commissioning Strategy was there to encourage an understanding of the conditions.  The answer needed to be sought on whether an Autism Service was needed or whether other services needed have more awareness of Autism conditions.  Emma likened this to the Select Committee for Dementia that recommended work being carried out with the acute trust and General Practitioners to make them more aware of the condition. 

Question: Are grants useful for the commissioning of services?

(8)      Emma described the ‘Carers Contract’ work in 2013 moving from 37 grants to 4 contracts with three years terms via performance framework.. It had been a bumpy ride but all successful contractors where Kent based and already seeing a vast improvement in service provision and spread to an increased number of carers. Emma considered that there was room for both grants and contracts in commissioning services.  Grants could be used when testing ideas and with the evidence base produce a contract.  She considered that voluntary organisations feared competing with private providers.  The way the criteria/evaluation was written could create a level playing field.  Innovation and volunteer base should not be lost.

Question: how do we involve Members?

(9)      Emma advised that when a contract had been through the officer governance, Members would be then be informed.  Members have an important role to ensure KCC funding is spend wisely.

Question: how to we incorporate social value?

(10)    Emma advised that social value was key. She tabled a document that gave an example of questions asked in the tendering process for commissioning a Carers short breaks service in which the provider was required to evidence how they would provide social value through the delivery of the service.  20% of the 60% quality score was based on social value. This answered the requirements of the Social Value Act within the evaluation of the tender.  Training on the Social Value Act had been provided to officers by the National Association of Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA) a national based charity.  Want to be able to evidence that Best Value is no always all about lowest price and creates an opportunity to level the playing field.

Question regarding contracts vs. grants based on previous witnesses statements

(11)   Emma advised that she had met with chief officers of Age Concern and gave a presentation on grants versus contracts.  All Carers Services were now contracted. She said that she was not anti grants but we have to know what was right to secure the right service.

(12)   Emma advised Members of her career path to the position she presently had as Head of Strategic Commissioner, Adult Community Support Service and how she required each Member of the Team to have an understanding of the clients’ point of view. Commissioning was new and Emma was continually improving her team and considered that there was growth in the market for the voluntary sector. 

(13)   Emma reaffirmed that the Carers short break contract had both the private and voluntary sector bidding for the contract. Crossroads won the bid.  Members requested training on the Social Value Act and a list of grants given against the contracts given.

(14)   Emma suggested that the Croydon Commissioning Too Kit and the Birmingham Providers Charter were a good examples and that KCC could have something similar.

(15)   The Chairman and Members thanked Emma for attending the meeting.