Adult Social Care and Public Health Sub- Committee
Agenda Item 10
Subject: Home Care Recommission: update on award
Date of meeting: 13th June 2023
Report of: Rob Persey
Executive Director of Health & Adult Social Care
Contact Officer: Claire Rowland
Email: claire.rowland@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Edward Barfoot
Email: edward.barfoot@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Mandy Offield
Email: mandy.offield@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Ward(s) affected: All
1.1 In January 2023 the Health and Adult Social Care Sub-Committee agreed with the proposed procurement and commissioning approach in relation to the provision of Home Care across the city and Extra Care at three establishments: Brooke Mead, Patching Lodge and New Larchwood/Library Court. Authority to award contracts following the procurement process was delegated to the Executive Director of Health and Adult Social Care.
1.2 The report provides Members with an update on the procurement process
undertaken and the subsequent award of the 5-year (plus potential extension of up to an additional 3 years) contracts to the winning bidders.
That the Sub-committee:
2.1 notes the contents of the report.
2.2 notes that a further report will be presented to Committee one year from commencement of contracts with information on how the contracts are working and the effectiveness of the new service(s) in relation to the previous arrangements.
3.2.1 Lot 1: Home Care
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1) Mobilisation and Means of Delivery |
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2) Maintaining and Building Capacity |
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3) Delivering a Person-Centred Service |
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4) Supporting People with Multiple or Challenging Needs |
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5) Social Value: A Supported and Sustainable Workforce |
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6) Social Value: Going Beyond Personal Care |
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7) Quality Monitoring, Systems and Tracking |
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8) Sustainability |
Price (0%)
Price for Lot 1 was based on a set hourly rate which is agreed by Members as part of the annual Fees Report.
Bidders were required to provide a completed Pricing Schedule detailing how the hourly rate would be used, which included payment to care workers of the Brighton Living Wage as minimum.
3.2.2 Lot 2, 3 and 4: Extra Care
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1) Mobilisation and Means of Delivery |
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2) Maintaining and Building Capacity |
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3) Delivering a Person-Centred Service |
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4) Supporting People with Multiple or Challenging Needs |
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5) Social Value: A Supported and Sustainable Workforce |
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6) Social Value: Going Beyond Personal Care |
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7) Quality Monitoring, Systems and Tracking |
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8) Sustainability |
Price (50%)
Bidders were required to submit a completed Pricing Schedule, with Price broken down into two elements:
“A: Hourly rate for provision of scheduled daytime care” and;
“B: Annual on-call service costs and TUPE costs”
3.3 The following bidders are awarded preferred bidder status, based on the award criteria listed in the tender documents:
Area 1: Brighton East
LEAD: Carepoint Services Ltd
BACK-UP: The successful provider withdrew
Area 2: Brighton Hove Central
LEAD: Lauriem Complete Care
BACK-UP: Allied Healthcare
Area 3: Brighton Hove North
LEAD: Not awarded
BACK-UP: The successful provider withdrew
Area 4: Hove West
LEAD: Care Outlook Ltd
BACK-UP: Allied Healthcare
3.4 Following evaluation of bids and consideration of the quality aspects required for delivery of the services, Officers deemed the tenders received for Area 3: Lead to not be of sufficient quality to proceed to contract award. Officers therefore intend to re-run the procurement to award a contract for the Lead provider in this Area.
3.5 Subsequent to the award notice, the successful provider declined the offer of both Back-Up Brighton East Area 1 and Back-Up Brighton and Hove North Area 3 as these awards alone would not have yielded the volume of referrals to provide stability as a new provider in the city. The procurement to award a contract for Back-Up providers in Areas 1 and 3 will be re-run together with Area 3 Lead. Whilst these Areas are being procured, referrals will be placed via the Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS)
3.6 The highest scoring bids for the Extra Care Lots (2-4) are as follows:
LOT 2: Brooke Mead Extra Care
Highest scoring bidder: Lauriem Complete Care
LOT 3: Patching Lodge Extra Care
Highest scoring bidder: Lauriem Complete Care
LOT 4: New Larchwood Extra Care
Highest scoring bidder: Care Outlook Ltd
4.1 This section was addressed in the ‘’Re-commissioning Home Care
and Extra Care’’ report presented to Adult Social Care & Public
Health Sub-Committee on 10th January 2023.
5.1 This section was addressed in the ‘’Re-commissioning Home Care
and Extra Care’’ report presented to Adult Social Care & Public
Health Sub-Committee on 10th January 2023.
6.1 The model of the recommission is strengths-based and is in line with social care strategy and best practice; proposals were welcome by all stakeholders.
6.2 The new commission will draw on improved partnership working between the successful bidders, assessment colleagues and commissioning representatives.
6.3 The recommission will benefit those people using the services through having a focused place-based approach to care delivery and a renewed emphasis on enabling approaches to delivering care. Extra Care establishments will restore focus on social value both within their premises and with their interactions with, and their offers to, the residents in the wider community. To this end, the recommissioned Extra Care model includes block hours for each establishment which are to be used flexibly to deliver additional value. Providers were evaluated on their proposed use of the block hours, as example, their proposals to work with the community and voluntary sector to improve outcomes for residents. Care staff will be paid as they are rostered and will receive the Living Wage as minimum, making recruitment more attractive and thereby improving retention. Additionally, providers can anticipate and plan for the volume of work and therefore flex their capacity to meet variances in demand and/or need. Providers will be able to access BHCC’s training programme to up-skill their workforce as required.
6.4 Contract management will be a key feature of the commission especially in terms of supporting individuals to receive the right care at the right time with an increased focus on provider performance and adherence to the contractual requirements.
7.1 The additional costs associated with this recommissioning include paying providers based on rostered hours rather than actual hours delivered. This has been funded via the investment and service pressures allocations (totaling £1.7m) included within the 2023/24 Council budget as part of the medium-term financial plan. The proposals were agreed by Budget Council in February 2023 as part of the annual budget setting process.
Name of finance officer consulted: Sophie Warburton
Date consulted: 24/04/2023
8.1 The Council is required to comply with the Public Contracts Regulations
2015 in relation to the procurement and award of contracts above the
relevant financial thresholds for these services. The Council’s
Contract Standing Orders (CSOs) will also apply.
Name of lawyer consulted: Wendy McRae-Smith
Date consulted: 26/04/2023
9.1 Officers have discussed the recommission with the council’s Equality leads and an Equalities Impact Assessment has been compiled to support the recommission. As with best practice, an action plan has subsequently followed.
9.2 The action plan is a live document, and it will determine any necessary activity to ensure that those with protected characteristics are in receipt of inclusive and affirmative services. Providers will be monitored on specific equality issues as per BHCC Quality Monitoring Standards, and as needed outside of this process.
10.1 Officers have discussed the recommission with the council’s Sustainability lead and as part of the tender, bidders were assessed and scored on their proposals regarding transport, including Active Travel and their approach to managing and minimising waste, including PPE. Bidders were also asked for their Carbon Reduction Plan and ‘green’ space initiatives.
Social Value and procurement implications
11.1 Officers had discussed the recommission with the council’s Social Value lead. Bidders were assessed and scored on their proposals regarding adding social value as part of their service delivery.
11.2 Areas of social value that bidders proposed included linking with voluntary sector organisations and the provision and/or signposting of information and advice. Digital inclusion and innovation and the creation of place-based support hubs were also considered.
11.3 A key social value factor for the recommission was the employment and conditions of care staff, the vast majority of whom will be Brighton & Hove residents. Bidders were assessed in this area as part of a separate quality question.
11.4 Securing additional social value was a particularly strong focus for the Extra Care Lot of the procurement. Bidders were be asked to detail their proposals for increasing activities and community engagement within the schemes, outside of the core requirement of delivering care. Both Patching Lodge and New Larchwood have a restaurant and activities; they are busy sites and are also open to the wider community to access.
12 Crime & disorder implications:
12.1 There have been no crime and disorder implications identified.
13 Public health implications:
13.1 Engagement with relevant Public Health colleagues had taken place to help inform the direction of travel for both Home Care and Extra Care in terms of preventive approaches to contractual delivery.
13.2 There are plans to work with Public Health colleagues throughout the life of the contract in terms of sharing information regarding best practice and relevant updates from Public Health England to maintain consistent standards across settings.