Issue - meetings

Recommissioning of Homecare (Independence at Home) services

Meeting: 04/06/2019 - Health and Care Board (Item 8)

8 Recommissioning of Homecare (Independence at Home) services pdf icon PDF 310 KB

B&NES Council and CCG has an opportunity to take an integrated approach to recommissioning homecare, which is vital to our local health & care system.  This report sets out a proposed framework model which would allow all CQC regulated homecare providers with a base or in operation within the boundary of B&NES to apply to be added to the framework.

 

Nationally & locally, the homecare sector is fragile with significant concerns in workforce and provider sustainability as well as increasing demand and costs.  In B&NES, long term contract arrangements for homecare have expired and to meet the timeline for the framework model implementation extensions will be put in place with the existing strategic partners.

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Minutes:

Mike Bowden introduced the item by saying that B&NES Council & CCG had the opportunity to take an integrated approach to homecare that supports people to live independently at home. The Joint Commissioning Committee has agreed the recommendations (as per report) at its meeting on 25th April 2019.  Mike Bowden invited the Board to agree with the recommendations before commencing with procurement.

 

Mike Bowden moved the recommendations.

 

Corinne Edwards seconded the motion by fully endorsing the proposals which would deliver a sustainable homecare sector for B&NES.

 

Councillor Dine Romero supported the proposals although her concerns were on Brexit impact to staff retention.

 

Vincent Edwards (Commissioning Manager, Adult Social Care) responded that nationally and locally, the homecare market was fragile, with significant issues in workforce recruitment, retention and training/skills. The officers would be looking to change their approach to the wider market and with high demand from private clients and freedom to develop their services to be more attractive for retaining staff. 

 

Councillor Rob Appleyard also supported the proposals and expressed his concerns on the workforce development.

 

Vincent Edwards responded that Workforce development was a high priority going forward given the underlying importance of community care to the NHS long term plan.  Commissioners were involved in a number of regional and sub-regional initiatives aimed at supporting the health and care workforce.  B&NES, along with Swindon and Wiltshire councils, would be supporting Sustainability and Transformation Partnership training development fund for staff training.

 

Lisa Harvey added that NHS has published a plan to increase nursing staff by looking at overseas recruiting and also to promote nursing careers within the country by making it as more desirable job.

 

Suzannah Power also welcomed the report by suggesting that it demonstrated potential for a sustainable homecare provision.  Suzannah Power asked how the homecare provision would be measured.

 

Alison Enever (Commissioning Project Manager) responded that a set of performance indicators would be used to evaluate the provision along with the service users’ feedback.  Carers and service users’ preferences, collected from engagements sessions, were included in the list of outcomes that were presented in the document.

 

Dr Ian Orpen thanked the Board and report officers for the comments made on this matter.

 

RESOLVED (unanimously) that the Health and Care Board agreed to:

 

1)  Ratify the proposals which were agreed by the Joint Commissioning Committee at its meeting of 25th April, 2019, and are detailed in section 2 of this report relating to:

a.  Endorsing the framework and ‘innovation contract’ approach to homecare and actions identified to progress this

b.  Interim contractual arrangements to promote continuity of service while the framework is developed

2)  Note related funding recommendations agreed to come from the integrated Better Care Fund by the Joint Commissioning Committee on 25th April 2019:

a.  An independent fair price of care analysis for homecare

b.  Specialist support to develop innovation pilots and transformation to outcomes based commissioning in homecare.

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