A report is attached.

Contact: Michelle Davies, Adult Social Care / Kate Garner, Shropshire Council

Michelle Davies, the Service Manager for Commissioning Preventative Services in Shropshire introduced her report (copy attached to the signed Minutes) which advised the Board of Adult Social Care’s procurement of a Wellbeing and Independence service for adults. The service would amalgamate and replace funding arrangements for a range of existing grants and contracts to procure a single contract.

The Service Manager informed the Board that this procurement exercise had been a good opportunity for the service to look at how to commission services differently based on outcomes.  She detailed the engagement work that had been undertaken with stakeholders which included workshops, press releases, questionnaires (of which over 160 responses had been received).  Feedback from these stakeholder events had been used to inform the procurement exercise.  The three key themes that were concentrated on were: Practical help to remain independent (wellbeing and independence); Advice, advocacy and benefits; and Housing-related support.

The Wellbeing and Independence Service was the first of these themes to be procured and it was hoped that the solution would bring together a number of organisations to form a partnership or consortium in order to provide a solution which still retained choice.  The Service Manager reported that the Contract was going out to tender on the 5 November and that responses were requested within 30 days.  She explained that work was ongoing in relation to the re-procurement of Housing Support services and Advice, Advocacy and Benefits support.

Jackie Jeffrey declared an interest in relation to the Advice, Advocacy and Benefits Service and withdraw from any discussion in relation thereto.

Dr Julie Davies queried whether there was a link into the integrated falls pathway to ensure the service could be mapped all the way through the system.  In response, the Service Manager confirmed that the CCG had been involved in the tender process to ensure that the contract would meet all the needs of service users.

In response to concern about the way in which the contract would be funded, the Service Manager reassured the Board that the administrative costs would not be too onerous to meet the requirements of the contract.  A small investment would be required from each organisation in the consortium with the smaller organisations having the option not to come into the larger consortium, if that worked best for them. 

RESOLVED:  That the update be noted.