Issue - meetings

This report provides an update on Virgin Care’s performance against national and local standards and indicators (year end 2019/20 and Quarter 1 2020/2021) and financial position at year end 2019/20.

The Director of Adult Social Care, Complex and Specialist Commissioning and the Head of Contracting & Performance introduced this report to the Panel, a summary is set out below.

The report seeks to address the issues raised at the previous Panel meeting and provides additional information on Delayed Transfers of Care, Recruitment and Retention and Virgin Care’s staff appraisal system.

Contract Update

We are in year four of the seven year term with the option to extend for a further three years (2024/2025, 2025/2026 and 2026/2027).  If a decision were taken to exercise the option to extend the contract term the Co-ordinating Commissioner must give written notice to Virgin Care no later than 24 months prior to the original expiry date (end of year 5 2021/2022 – March 2022 being the latest date).

COVID-19 has resulted in year four contracting being approached differently, by BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning (BSWCCG) Group and the Council as joint commissioner.  In the first instance the finance and reporting schedules have been prioritised for inclusion in 2020/21 contract with remaining schedules to be agreed and incorporated into the contract by end October 2020 through a local variation. 

Governance of the Contract – changes relating to COVID-19

Due to the impact of COVID-19 the decision was taken to suspend some contract governance meetings in April and May 2020 to enable Virgin Care as the prime provider for health care and social care in Bath and North East Somerset to concentrate resources to respond to the public health emergency. 

The contract governance meetings continued after April 2020 for Council statutory functions adult social care.  In June 2020 the Contract, Quality and Performance Meeting (CQPM), Finance Information Group (FIG) and Quality Sub-Group (QSG) meetings resumed.  It was also agreed with Virgin Care to recommence service level performance meetings (SLPM) from this time, recognising that some services were being delivered differently or had ceased in line with national guidance. During the initial part of the outbreak lockdown commissioners and service providers including Virgin Care held daily virtual meetings to ensure safe delivery of services. 

Virgin Care Role and Response During COVID-19

Virgin Care have provided a prompt and responsive approach to the COVID-19 pandemic and have fully contributed to both Bath and North East Somerset locality and B&NES, Swindon and Wiltshire system activity. Some key activity has included:

• Implemented at speed the new Discharge to Assess Model in response to the DHSC Discharge Guidance published on 19^th March 2020 (updated 21^st August 2020). Service users and patients have benefited from an integrated health and social care response as the service was able to respond quickly to the challenge. The new guidance was implemented from 1^st September 2020

• All Business Continuity Plans updated in line with available COVID-19 information

• Critical services list and service priorities identified linked to business continuity were put in place and routinely updated and shared

• Colleagues were redeployed from services that were no longer being provided or were working at  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25