Agenda item

This report provides an update to Scrutiny Panel on the development of commissioning approaches for services for older people in B&NES in respect of home care and care homes.

The Senior Commissioning Manager for Community Health & Care Services introduced this report to the Panel, a summary is set out below.

The pressure of the Covid-19 pandemic has particularly dominated the work of the Integrated Adults Commissioning Team as we aim to provide and maintain services and support for some of the most vulnerable older people in our community.

Since June 2020 the team have been developing two Market Engagement Strategies. These strategies are designed to articulate and set a plan around the way the Integrated Commissioning team engages with the care market.

These Market Engagement Strategies will sit within a broader Commissioning Strategy which will encompass the work of all teams engaged in adult commissioning which will be developed as part of the wider teams that report to the Director for Adult Social Care and Commissioning.

Within the Market Engagement Strategies are commitments to take forward an annual market position statement.

Market Engagement Strategies

The two Market Engagement Strategies focus on home care and on care homes.

Both Strategies are working to three overarching aims:

• We have a clear joint strategy about how home care and care homes contractual and commissioning practice is to be developed in B&NES

• There is evidence of improved outcomes for people receiving home care and residents of homes

• The average price and the overall spend on home care and care homes are reduced

The Chair referred to section 4.3.6 of the report where it said that currently information on care packages held on Liquid Logic is not consistently recorded and asked what steps could be taken to rectify this.

The Senior Commissioning Manager for Community Health & Care Services replied that where possible only one point of data entry will be used moving forward to ensure the data set is consistent.

Councillor Alison Born commented that there appeared to be a focus on costs within the Home Care Engagement Strategy and asked if quality of care would also be considered.

The Senior Commissioning Manager for Community Health & Care Services replied that the aim of the strategy will be to make sure that we can deliver on quality, process and costs.

Councillor Born asked what types of Assistive Technology were being considered with regard to home care.

The Senior Commissioning Manager for Community Health & Care Services replied that it was currently an open agenda on this matter. She added that there had been a 24% increase in use within the last year and that the strategy would seek to enable those that can use it to do so.

Councillor Liz Hardman asked if it could be explained how B&NES is in the bottom quartile of the continuing healthcare league table for the way we undertake assessments and in the top quartile of the Funding Nursing Care table. 

The Senior Commissioning Manager for Community Health & Care Services replied that B&NES is an outlier in terms of the number of people who benefit from CHC funding and as part of a review we will look at why that is. She added that the review will also seek to make sure that the right provision is delivered in the right way to the right people and costed the right way.

Councillor Hardman asked if further explanation could be given as to why this demonstrates a significant potential in looking at the way we carry out CHC assessments to ensure that our services are funded from the right budget sources.

The Senior Commissioning Manager for Community Health & Care Services replied that people can be funded through a number of sources, they can be self-funded, funded through health (inc CHC) and they can be funded by the Council following an assessment. She added that the criteria of funding can also be subject to change depending on the circumstances of the individual concerned.

Councillor Hardman asked in respect of the two market engagement strategies, how will we achieve much improved outcomes with reduced costs.

The Senior Commissioning Manager for Community Health & Care Services replied that they will look to build on the partnership working to develop the services offered.

Kevin Burnett asked for any further comment on the monitoring of Care Home contracts.

The Senior Commissioning Manager for Community Health & Care Services replied that in a positive move they will look to develop the voice of service users in their monitoring.

Kevin Burnett asked if this will include hearing from their relatives.

The Senior Commissioning Manager for Community Health & Care Services replied that it would and that the Council will work alongside the third sector to achieve this.

The Panel RESOLVED to note the report.