Agenda item
Your Care, Your Way Update
The Select Committee will receive a presentation regarding this item.
Minutes:
Councillor Paul May was not present for this agenda item.
During the course of the meeting Councillor Lin Patterson had sought clarification on whether she and Councillor Paul May could remain present for this item. She said she had received correspondence from the Council’s Monitoring Officer and would convey it to the Select Committee. It read as follows;
Dear Councillors,
You are not "banned", however you do have a conflict of interest due to your behaviour (the signing of the petition against Virgin healthcare) or circumstances (Directorship of Sirona), which mean that you will not appear to be open minded in these discussions - you could stay in the room to hear the discussion but my advice is that you should not sit with the Board to avoid criticism or a standards complaint.
As set out in my email to all councillors - "It is important to
take extra care if you are involved in a formal procurement process
on behalf of the Council. Any comment you make - either
intentionally or unintentionally - may be said to have compromised
the process and could lead to a costly legal challenge and delays
in the award of the contract. .... Any conflicts of interest
should be declared, with the councillor withdrawing from the
process as soon as they realise there is a conflict. (The
rules around public sector procurement are covered in detail in the
Council's Contract Standing Orders.)"
It is ultimately the councillor's decision as to whether they wish
to remain or not and therefore this is for you to decide.
Councillor Lin Patterson left the meeting.
Barbara Gordon, Protect Our NHS (Banes) addressed the Select Committee. A copy of the statement can be found on the Panel’s Minute Book, and as an appendix online to these minutes, a summary is set out below.
Protect Our NHS BANES were very disappointed to learn that Virgin Care have been given preferred provider status by Bath and NE Somerset Council and the BANES Clinical Commissioning Group. We have since attended a meeting with the Your Care Your Way procurement team as well as an open meeting with the Virgin team. We continue to have deep concerns which we feel have not been answered.
We have been told that the provider will sign an undertaking to reinvest any profit or surplus from the operation into local services and that administrative costs will be capped. We understand that Richard Branson has said that he will not make a profit from the NHS. This does not appear to be a sustainable position for a private company and we would ask why, if Virgin is so altruistic, it has not created a charitable trust to bid for NHS services.
The final business plan will not be made public until 3rd November and will be presented to councillors for a final decision on 10th November. We feel very strongly that one working week is quite inadequate for councillors and members of the public to study the report on due diligence, the contract and the business case. This is the only opportunity that our democratically elected representatives have to ask detailed questions before they make a very major decision on how public money is spent.
The Virgin bid depends heavily on the transformational aspects of new IT approaches including integrated records and mobile working. We understand that the Council, in conjunction with Sirona, have just bought an electronic case management and records system specifically designed to achieve both these objectives. Will Virgin work with this system or sub contract the IT work to another partner?
We are not clear whether the impact that these changes will have on other providers such as the voluntary sector and indeed Sirona, have been fully assessed. It is not clear what will happen to the services that Virgin do not want to provide directly many of which are currently provided by voluntary organisations and this uncertainty will be de-stabilising for small local organisations.
The processes involved in monitoring this contract are complex and detailed and we would question whether a small local authority and CCG has the resources and expertise to do this on an ongoing basis. We are also concerned that when dealing with a private company this process will not be open and transparent to elected members.
The Director for Integrated Health & Care Commissioning said that a written response would be given to the statement.
The Select Committee received a presentation from the Your Care, Your Way Project Lead, a summary is set out below.
Procurement Update
The preferred bidder, Virgin Care was announced on August 18th following a 7 – 8 month assessment. Rigorous due diligence is now being carried out.
Capability Testing
References were sought from Commissioners / Service Users and Partners.
CQC and Finance findings were assessed.
How will things be different?
Provide more joined up care.
Consider the whole person.
Reduce social isolation.
Guide people through the system.
Share information more effectively.
Embrace new technology.
Making it happen
1. Mobilisation – Safe transfer of services between November – March
2. Transition – 100 day window to achieve quick wins
3. Transformation –
Year 1: Locality Hubs, Citizens’ Panel, Innovation Fund
Year 2: Mobile working, Virtual clinics, Workforce joint training
Year 3: Risk stratification, Fully paperless working, Commissioning pathways of care
FAQs
What will happen to any profit made by Virgin Care?
· Any surplus will be invested back into the community. Virgin Care are working on the premise of breaking even.
Have you assessed Virgin Care’s tax and financial arrangements?
· Yes, they are compliant with the Government guidelines.
How will staff be affected?
· Support to staff will be ongoing.
Will services be cut?
· Efficiencies will be made as there are gaps / overlaps within the current provision. The work of Your Care, Your Way will deliver additional services.
Key Dates
9th September: Working assumptions around scope of the prime provider released.
25th October: Preferred bidder stage completed.
10th November: Full business case to governing bodies.
Councillor Geoff Ward asked as part of their bid, what were some of the main offers from Virgin on what they could provide.
The Your Care, Your Way Project Lead replied that they showed the ability to be a system leader and that they were able to recognise where local services exist and include them in their bid. She added that they have a very strong inter-operability plan / system and are a commercially astute organisation.
The Chair commented that through this process a lot had been heard regarding the leadership and organisational qualities of Virgin Care, but that she would like to be assured of how well they will care for patients and their staff.
The Your Care, Your Way Project Lead replied that they have a good record on caring, nurturing and developing their workforce and have a low turnover of staff. She added that she felt they were an open and caring organisation.
Councillor Eleanor Jackson said that she agreed with the comments made by the Chair. She asked how outcomes of the contract would be assessed.
The Your Care, Your Way Project Lead replied that a workshop was to be held to finalise the framework for a mechanism to assess provider performance. She added that the public see GP’s as a key figure and therefore some services will wrap around their work.
Councillor Eleanor Jackson asked if people generally are living for longer, although some will have complex health needs, has this been factored into the contract.
The Your Care, Your Way Project Lead replied that it will be made clear how the gap will be met in terms of doing nothing to providing care. She added that it is hoped that frontline staff will have more time with individuals due to the technology that will be available.
The Chair thanked her for the update on behalf of the Select Committee.