Proposed decision: Approve a Direct Award Contract to Crossroads Care Kent for a period of twelve months (1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025) for Carers’ Short Breaks Services and 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.
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 Service 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 2024. 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 2024 to 31 March 2025, will allow time for commissioners to ensure that any new service can be co-produced with stakeholders including people with lived experience which aligns with the Community Navigation service.
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.
Options considered:
The following options were considered
· Option 1: Direct Award the contract for 12 months
· Option 2: Reprocure the contract within a short timeframe
· Option 3: End the contract on 31 March 2024
In consideration of Option 3, 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 at a time when other services are being reduced financially.
· 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.
Reprocuring within a short timeframe was dismissed, owing to a lack of clarity as to funding in the present financial climate, long term Integrated Care Board (ICB) funding sustainability, current workforce implications, and the additional pressures on Adults Strategic Commissioning resource.
A Direct Award to the incumbent provider, is the recommended option. This will allow the outcomes of the Kent Carers’ Strategy to be embedded within the future service design, whilst keeping consistency of service for unpaid carers in the interim. It will also allow the opportunity to understand the performance and trends of the contract to better inform and scope the design and recommissioning of the service in a truly co-produced way. The Direct Award will be made in accordance with stipulations within Regulation 32 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
Decision type: Key
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Division affected: (All Division);
Notice of proposed decision first published: 27/06/2023
Decision due: Not before 26th Jul 2023 by Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health
Lead member: Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health
Lead director: Richard Smith
Department: Social Care, Health & Wellbeing
Contact: Simon Mitchell, Senior Commissioner Tel: 03000 417156 Email: simon.mitchell@kent.gov.uk.
Consultees
The propsed decision was endorsed by the Adult Social Care Cabinet Committee 6 July 2023.
Financial implications: The Carers’ Short Breaks Service Contract is jointly funded by KCC and NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (NHS K&M ICB). The current Adult Social Care (ASC) budget is subject to an identified saving in 2023/24; the NHS K&M ICB funding will be requested for the recommended option. The Council is working in partnership with the Integrated Care Board (ICB) to ensure funding is secured for the option. The total value of the one-year contract extension will be £3.087m. (ASC £2.5m/ICB
Legal implications: The council has a statutory duty to ensure that there is sufficient and fit for purpose provision of social care services to Kent residents, who are eligible under the Care Act 2014 and that a sustainable market is maintained which the Carers' Short Breaks contributes to. The direct award of the contract is in line with PCR Regulation 32 (2)(b)(ii).)
Equalities implications: An Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) was completed as part of the original commissioning of these services; and has been revised and updated in preparation for any future recommissioning.