Agenda item

Report of the Strategic Director of Adult Care, Housing and Public Health

Recommendations:-

1.           Cabinet approve the Stage 1 (Continuity), including the use of grants for Speak Up and Community Catalysts, and Stage 2 (Assessment, Planning and Procuring) phases. These are to support the design, delivery and planning of new services, and are expected to be completed by June 2021

2.           Cabinet approves the retendering of services outlined in 3.2.  This is expected to be completed by June 2021.

3.           Cabinet notes the process and timings associated with the Stage 3 (Delivery and Implementation). This to include the procurement (FPS approach or otherwise) of new Supported Living arrangements and Day Opportunities services. 

4.           Cabinet agree to receive a report in eight months’ time with recommendations at the conclusion of Stage 1 & 2 in order that Stage 3 can progress. This to include benefits of the proposal and projected financial implications.

5.           Cabinet approves the overall project timings and notes the approach, tasks, and associated risks.

Consideration was given to the report that set out in detail the approach to adopting a set of strategic commissioning intentions that strengthened independence, choice and control for people with a Learning Disability and/or Autism within Rotherham and supported the Adult Care Directorate’s development programme My Front Door.

This report provided an overview of the current externally commissioned offer in Rotherham, particularly the state of the local market in terms of ability to meet current demand for service and the pressures that providers were facing and  further highlighted the case for change, before focusing on the key work needed to underpin a new delivery model for externally commissioned Learning Disability and Autism Services.

The report also focused on Supported Living and detailed how the current external offer in Rotherham did not always promote independence and could be reliant on a quasi-residential care model rather than an independent living approach. Individuals did not always have the option to appropriately move on to alternative accommodation or to regularly access community assets.

There were a limited number of supported living providers operating within the Borough and currently there was no established route to market for supported living. This had restricted genuine choice and had led to an inconsistency in quality and pricing which needed to be addressed. However, these issues were mainly contractual. Although people often remained in the same service with the same level of support for many years the people currently residing in Rotherham’s Supported Living Services were well supported both at home and out in the community where they were able and supported to participate with daily tasks at home out in the community.

The work programme would improve services by developing and commissioning services based on co-produced service specifications that focused on person centred outcomes.

The externally provided Day Opportunity offers in Rotherham have begun to transform the opportunities which were available, but further work was needed to ensure that there was choice and a vibrant offer for people with a Learning Disability and/or Autism in Rotherham, to access meaningful opportunities around employment, education and leisure time during the day as an alternative to a day centre or remaining within their accommodation.

The Day Opportunity Complex Needs Services that was commissioned with external organisations provided both building-based and community outreach elements. The building-based services provided a base for people to return to for personal care needs and therapeutic sessions. The community outreach provided support to access the community and complete daily living tasks such as shopping, banking alongside support to access community groups. Community Catalysts have been instrumental in the development of a vibrant and varied Day Opportunities offer for working age people in Rotherham, working closely with the many Community Enterprise organisations to ensure that the services they offered were of good quality, provided value for money and evolved to meet the changing needs of the people who access these services. The Community Catalysts work had had a positive impact on the economy in Rotherham by supporting small businesses to develop locally, which in turn contributed to social value in local communities in line with the Council’s Social Value Policy.

There was a need to develop the Employment Support Opportunities within Rotherham. Limited opportunities were available through some of the Community Enterprises, but this area needed to be developed further and would be addressed as part of any future tender opportunity.

The intention would be to use a blended approach to deliver the transformation of the commissioned services. This would be carried out in three stages in order to ensure current service delivery was maintained: Stage One - Service Continuity, Stage Two - Assessment, Planning and Procuring and Stage Three - Delivery and Implementation

The report also sought approval for the commencement of a project to develop a Flexible Purchasing System (FPS), including the approach adopted and also asked that associated risks and mitigations be noted.

Cabinet Members welcomed how this solution would create more opportunities for people with Learning Disabilities and Autism giving them greater control of their lives with a better offer.  They supported the report, setting out the detail on the methodology and approach to making this happen.

Resolved:-

(1)  That  the Stage 1 (Continuity), including the use of grants for Speak Up and Community Catalysts, and Stage 2 (Assessment, Planning and Procuring) phases be approved. These were to support the design, delivery and planning of new services, and are expected to be completed by June 2021

(2)  That the retendering of services outlined in section 3.2 of the report submitted be approved.  This is expected to be completed by June 2021.

(3)  That the process and timings associated with the Stage 3 (Delivery and Implementation) be noted. This to include the procurement (FPS approach or otherwise) of new Supported Living arrangements and Day Opportunities services. 

(4)  That Cabinet receive a report in eight months’ time with recommendations at the conclusion of Stages 1 and 2 in order that Stage 3 can progress. This was to include benefits of the proposal and projected financial implications.

(5)  That the overall project timings be approved and the approach, tasks, and associated risks be noted.