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Democratic ServicesWiltshire Council
County Hall
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14 8JN
Decision details
Approval for the provision of block homecare hours for the COvid-19 Period
Decision Maker: Alison Elliott (Director - Commissioning)
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: No
Is subject to call in?: No
Decision:
• To approve the provision of provision
of block homecare hours to as part of the planning and organisation
of health & social care services across Wiltshire during the
coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. This will support customers who
have tested positive for Covid 19 to return to their homes and
support those in the community who develop symptoms.
• Eight providers have been selected. The total value for
initial period is anticipated to be £768,417.26. This is
funded by the B&NES, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical
Commissioning Group using monies provided by central government to
enable the health & care sector to respond to the COVID-19
situation. Please see appendix 1 for details of the contracts to be
awarded.
• The contracts shall commence on 9th April with the initial
term expiring on 2nd of August 2020. There is an extension period
available of up to 16 weeks. To exercise this extension period a
further Record of Officer Decision Report will need to be produced
and authorised.
• To allow either the Strategic Procurement Hub or Legal
Services to enter into the resulting contracts in line with the
Council’s Constitution and Schemes of Delegation.
Reasons for the decision:
1. There is an urgent need to secure
additional homecare capacity to support Wiltshire’s
communities because:
a. The UK is experiencing a pandemic outbreak of the COVID–19
virus.
b. There is an established need to support the wider health and
care system. NHS modelling shows that the acute hospitals serving
Wiltshire are very likely to imminently breach their capacity in
the first weeks of April.
c. The provision of these services will mean that customers can be
supported in their own homes following discharge from a hospital
setting or Hospital Discharge Support Unit to continue their
recovery journey at home. This will help support the health system
by releasing beds in NHS hospitals for those in greater need of
specialist healthcare support.
d. A block contract agreement for additional homecare capacity will
mean that customers can be discharged quickly, without delay,
compared to alternative commissioning arrangements. This therefore
provides more responsive capacity needed to support such
discharges.
e. People living at home with CPVID-19 symptoms or who have tested
positive for COVID-19 also require urgent homecare support.
2. I confirm that in making this decision I have considered the
following in line with Wiltshire Council’s
Constitution:
Key decision requirements: Yes
Views of relevant cabinet member(s), committee chairman, area
board(s): Not applicable
Consultation with cabinet member(s), the Leader and Scrutiny (for
Executive decisions taken under Emergency Powers): Yes via
CEOs
Consultation with local members (as appropriate): Not
applicable
Consideration of the area boards and delegated decision checklist
for officers on the issue of when and how to involve local
councillors and area boards in decisions about local services: Not
applicable
Implication of any council policy, initiative, strategy or
procedure: Yes
Consultation in accordance with requirements and expectations of
consultation with the public: Not applicable
Range of options available: Yes
Staffing, financial and legal implications: Yes
Risk assessment: Yes
Involvement of statutory officers and/or directors:
Yes
Regional or national guidance from other bodies:
Yes
The council’s constitution:Yes
This contract is suitable for execution under the e-signature
process: No
Alternative options considered:
1. Do nothing: Available evidence suggests
that existing commissioning arrangements and available capacity in
the local homecare market would not be adequate to meet the sudden
surge in additional demand for homecare services. This also
acknowledges the risk and likelihood of care workers in the current
homecare workforce themselves being required to self-isolate or
otherwise being at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 through the
regular course of their duties.
2. Secure block contracts using the Help to Live at Home Pseudo
Dynamic Purchasing System: This option was not favoured due to the
extremely truncated time period from identification of need &
demand to the required start date of services. It was felt the
Council’s established method of securing homecare capacity
would at this time have not enabled the council to be responsive
enough to a rapidly evolving situation and would have created an
avoidable bureaucratic burden on providers.
Conflict of Interest: Not applicable
Background: 1. The Director for Commissioning is responsible for any matters relating to the commissioning of homecare services in Wiltshire on behalf of Wiltshire Council. The power to make a decision in respect of this matter is delegated to me pursuant to Wiltshire Council’s Constitution. In any event, pursuant to paragraph 4 of Part 3 Section D of the Constitution, Directors of Wiltshire Council are empowered to take all necessary decisions in cases of emergency where the Director concerned believes that there is a risk of damage to property, a threat to the health or wellbeing of an individual and/or that the interests of the Council may be compromised if this decision is not otherwise taken. 2. Currently, the UK is experiencing a pandemic outbreak of the COVID–19 virus. A direct impact of this is the necessity for Wiltshire Council to make rapid decisions to secrure the health & wellbeing of the Community and to support the wider Health and Social Care System. 3. During the Covid-19 outb
Contact: Helen Jones, Director - Procurement and Commissioning Email: helen.jones@wiltshire.gov.uk.
Publication date: 02/06/2020
Date of decision: 09/04/2020
Accompanying Documents: