Decision details

Date of Decision:

16 March 2023

Decision Maker:

(Including Job Title)

Ian Spicer

Strategic Director, Adult Care, Housing and Public Health

Specific Delegation:

(If any)

Appendix 9, Section 4C3, of the Council’s Constitution provides that “The Strategic Director of Adult Care, Housing and Public Health is authorised to discharge executive functions through the commissioning and provision of social services for adults and public health services for the whole population and delivery of housing for the Borough, including:- (4) Strategic Commissioning; (a) Commissioning”. 

Brief Description of Decision:

The Home Care and Support Service was secured via a competitive tender in 2019 and mobilised in April 2020.  Providers appointed to the Home Care and Support – Flexible Purchasing System were paid at hourly rates tendered in year 1 of the contract. 

In December 2021 the DHSC announced a Market Sustainability and Fair Cost of Care exercise with the objective of addressing care and support market sustainability issues.  The outcome of the FCoC was concluded with the results published 1 February 2023.  The FCoC relating to domiciliary care was £22.47/hr and the proposal that current hourly rates be aligned to this figure. 

It is proposed that a variable increase is applied to contracted hourly rates with bias towards providers who deliver service in the rural semi-rural areas of the Borough.   The detail of the resulting rates is included in Appendix 2 (exempt from publication). 

Reasons for the Decision:

This proposal is recommended as it will address issues of severe capacity shortfall in certain geographic areas.  This option will also reduce the dependency on temporary contracted provision avoid fragmentation in the market and help to reset and stabilise the Home Care and Support Flexible Purchasing System.

Details of alternative options considered and rejected:

Standardise the increase to contracted Home Care and Support provider  hourly rates based on the outcome of the FCoC exercise - median rate of £22.47/hr.

This option is not recommended as this would fail to stabilise the recruitment and retention issues and shortfall in capacity.

Conflicts of interest declared by any Executive Member consulted by the decision maker which relates to the decision:

No conflicts of interest declared.

Dispensations Granted:

(If any)

N/A.

Reports or parts of reports considered

None considered.