Issue - items at meetings - Public Health Community Nursing Contract

Report of the Executive Director, Health and Adult Social Care (copy attached)

RESOLVED – (1) That the Sub-committee agrees to extend the existing Public Health Community Nursing (PHCN) contract;

(2) That the Sub-committee agrees to extend the contract for one year, with the option of a further one-year extension;

(3) That the Sub-committee grants delegated authority to the Executive Director of Health and Adult Social Care to further extend the contract for a further one year subject to satisfactory performance.

26.1    The Sub Committee considered a report of the Executive Director, Health and Adult Social Care asking for agreement to extend the current Public Health Community Nursing (PHCN) contract for up to a two year period from April 2022.

26.2    It was explained that the PHCN contract delivered the city’s health visiting and school nursing services. The report detailed the rationale for an extension of the current contract in order to provide continuity of service in the context of the pandemic and at a time of national change to the commissioning and delivery of health services, each of the. The various options were explained including the thought process which had led to the report recommendations.

26.3    Councillor Mears asked for confirmation regarding how this contract had carried forward since 2014, when and by what means it had been awarded/signed off. Councillor Mears stated that whilst she understood the reasoning given, did not feel able to support the report recommendations as she did not consider that she had been provided with sufficient information in relation to the chronology of the current contract or sufficient financial information on which to base her decision. In answer to further questions by Councillor Mears it was explained that a five-year extension had been awarded to the existing contract in 2017.

26.4    The Executive Director, Health and Adult Social Care, Rob Persey, explained the existing extension had been awarded by the Health and Wellbeing Board, following the recent re-alignment of the Board’s responsibilities award of this contract now lay more appropriately with this Sub Committee. The recommended approach also linked into a wider approach anticipated post 2024 which sought to align a package of services in concert with other local providers, e.g., with East and West Sussex. The recommended approach was consistent with that anticipated in the White Paper currently progressing through Parliament which supported a partnership approach.

26.5    Councillor Shanks noted that approach recommended had been looked at and would be reviewed in the context of the new Bill referred to, clearly, the local trust had been providing well to date. She was mindful however that all service delivery was just beginning to emerge from Covid and that the level of funding envisaged was the same as that for delivery currently, querying whether that would be sufficient.

26.6    Councillor Appich welcomed the report and accompanying presentation and was pleased to note the emphasis on performance which would be beneficial in procuring contracts going forward. It was important to identify whether the procurement strategy was sufficiently robust in order to provide a benchmark against which performance could be measured. It would be helpful to receive an update in the context of Covid to a future Sub Committee meeting. The Executive Director, explained that a “refresh” of the existing strategy submitted to the Health and Wellbeing Board in 2019 was under preparation with a focus on measures to combat any increase in need during the winter months. This would go forward in detail to the Board, however he could provide a general update to the next scheduled meeting of the Sub Committee. Councillor Appich welcomed this suggestion considering that it was important for Members to be able to be aware of whether/where any slippage had occurred. The Chair, Councillor Nield concurred in that view.

22.7    A vote was taken and on a vote of 4 with 1 abstention the report recommendations were agreed as set out below.

26.8    RESOLVED – (1) That the Sub-committee agrees to extend the existing Public Health Community Nursing (PHCN) contract;

(2) That the Sub-committee agrees to extend the contract for one year, with the option of a further one-year extension;

(3) That the Sub-committee grants delegated authority to the Executive Director of Health and Adult Social Care to further extend the contract for a further one year subject to satisfactory performance.