Decision details

Reason for the decision:

Kent County Council has a statutory responsibility under The Care Act 2014 to meet the needs of people who are 18 years or older, identifying as unpaid Carers, older people who are frail and vulnerable, and those who are under 55 years of age who are frail and vulnerable. Kent County Council meets this duty through the provision of the Community Navigation Services. The Community Navigation Services Contracts are jointly funded by Kent County Council (Adult Social Care) and the NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (formerly the Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group).

The current Community Navigation Services Contracts commenced in April 2019, for an initial four-year period, with the fourth year ending on 31March 2023. There is provision within the current contract to extend for two single year periods.

The following options were considered and discarded

·         Extend for 24 months

·         Reprocure the contract within a short timeframe

·         End the contract on 31 March 2023

While 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:

·         Potentially increase the number of vulnerable adults, older people and carers becoming isolated and lonely, with the potential to therefore increase demand on health and social care services.

·         There is a Social Prescribing and Navigation Strategy being developed, and the outcome and direction set for these services through that Strategy should in some way determine the future of these services.

Procuring the contracts within a short timeframe, by April 2023, was dismissed due to the strategy development underway.

Extending the current Community Navigation Service Contracts, for which there is provision, is the recommended option. This allows for the Kent Social Prescribing and Navigation Strategy to be developed and published, setting the future direction for these services, with the potential to align health and social care funding in the future. It also sustains the current provision to allow further analysis of demand post COVID.

The proposal to seek approval to use both the existing contract extensions (for the two single years) at this point allows for flexibility in the event of any delays in the development of the Kent Social Prescribing and Navigation Strategy, or delays in recommissioning the service and will ensure that the Council continues to meet its statutory responsibility under The Care Act 2014 to meet the needs of people who are 18 years or older, identifying as unpaid Carers, older people who are frail and vulnerable, and those who are under 55 years of age who are frail and vulnerable.

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

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

a)    EXTEND the current Community Navigation Services Contracts for a period of 12 months, from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024; and

b)    DELEGATE authority to the Corporate Director Adult Social Care and Health to use the second one-year contract extension option (1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025), should it be required; and

c)    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.