Agenda item

This paper provides an update on the review’s progress to date.

The Commissioning Manager for Adult Social Care introduced this report to the Panel. He explained that homecare services are currently provided in Bath & North East Somerset by a range of local providers, with contracts awarded to four ‘strategic partners’ in 2008.  He said that a review of homecare services is currently being undertaken in readiness for putting in place a new homecare approach and contracts from Autumn/Winter 2019/2020. 

He stated that in doing so the Council has been mindful of opportunities to:

·  Explore innovative new ways to support people at home and maximise their independence

·  Consider the needs of those living in rural and harder to reach communities

·  Ensure our model will be sustainable for the future, for providers and the workforce, as well as being cost-effective for the Council

He stated that the Council have continued to consider the standards of the Ethical Care Charter in their recommissioning approach and it has also reviewed national best practice and research, and engaged widely with local stakeholders.

He highlighted some of the key findings from the engagement activities:

• There is support for the use of assistive technology alongside traditional homecare approaches, although people are keen that this does not replace the human side of care. People want care delivered flexibly in a way that doesn’t disrupt their existing quality of life, and which is personalised to their needs.

• People value consistency of care workers, and dislike having too many different people in the house. They want people they are familiar with, reliable timings, and a care worker who engages with the person using the service and any family or carers.

• There is a need to provide opportunities to develop the workforce and promote the value of care, and care as an attractive career.

He said that having listened to engagement feedback we developed a list of ‘outcomes’ to capture people’s aspirations and expectations for a new service. He stated that these set the foundations for future success and demonstrate what will be different for local people who use the service, and how the service will feel to use. He said that the outcomes should allow us to measure the effectiveness of future services ensuring that they continue to make a positive difference to people’s lives. He added that during December and January we ran a public consultation on these outcomes and our proposals.

He informed the Select Committee that a final business case is now being developed, in collaboration with colleagues from across the Council and CCG that will set out our final model and procurement approach founded on work to date and that this will be signed off by Joint Commissioning Committee and the Health and Care Board in spring/summer 2019.

Councillor Robin Moss said that it was good to hear of proposals to recruit and retain more staff, but asked of the costs associated with this area of work.

The Commissioning Project Manager replied that the Council has been working within the United Kingdom Homecare Association Costing Model and that the model is designed to assist any provider in the calculation of a fair price for social care services.

Councillor Geoff Ward said that he acknowledged the opportunities for future generations in terms of ‘virtual care’ but asked how this would affect those people with no internet access or a mobile phone.

The Commissioning Project Manager replied that is where the need for flexibility has been recognised. She added that some people have been offered assistive technology, liked it and then expanded their use of it.

Councillor Bryan Organ commented that he agreed that it was important for care workers to be well trained and supported.

Councillor Vic Pritchard said that there should be a cross party focus on highlighting the roles of care workers.

Councillor Lin Patterson said that her heart sank when reading the bullet points within section 5.1 of the report and asked if while seeking independence people were receiving the right level of care.

The Commissioning Manager for Adult Social Care replied that the Council has tried to be honest and pragmatic in its approach to this review. He added that he felt that a person’s independence should be celebrated and said that it was a case of comparing their needs -v- aspirations.

The Commissioning Project Manager added that it was helpful to receive a challenge to their wording and that they would look to take that on board as the project moves forward.

The Acting Director for Integrated Health and Care Commissioning said that under the Care Act the Council should seek to meet identified eligible needs and support independence within the community.

The Select Committee RESOLVED to note the update on the Homecare Review Project.