Agenda item

The Panel will receive a presentation on this item from the Director of Adult Social Care and Becky Brooks, Director of 3SG. 

The Director of Adult Social Care and Kate Morton (Chief Executive - Bath Mind and Chair of B&NES 3SG) addressed the Panel and highlighted the following points to them from their presentation.

Director of Adult Social Care:

·  Review carried out with the 3^rd Sector as contracts are due to expire in April 2025.

·  Savings target of £802k still to be achieved across Adult Social Care & Housing.

·  Lack of engagement with the Council cited by 3SG at the September CAHW Panel meeting.

·  Funding allocation of £3,439,048 from three sources (Council, ICB & BCF) make up the indicative total.

What the Commissioners have done so far…

·  Contract Management - A detailed review of the richness of the existing information, intelligence and insight.

·  Data Review - A detailed review of service specific data held by B&NES Council and HCRG Care Group.

·  Service on a Page - Produce concise, detailed overviews of existing services, reviewed by commissioners.

Contract Baselining

·  Information, advice and guidance 

·  Prevention & Early targeted support including independent living support

·  Support for Carers

Kate Morton:

·  Since September 2024 Panel meeting a great deal of co-production and collaboration has been carried out between the Council and the 3^rd Sector.

Market Engagement Events

·  24th September 2024 - Engagement with incumbent 3rd sector providers.

·  8th October 2024 - Market engagement event opened to organisations from wider market.

·  Two further events facilitated by Stone King Solicitors

o  30th October 2024 - Engagement event led by 3SG with Council commissioners on the art of the possible.

o  1st November 2024 - Engagement event with the 3rd sector providers, well attended (over 30 people).

Key Themes from the Engagement Events

• Focus on the joint purpose
• More alignment with the ICB
• Equal partnership and seeking to understand the needs of both the third sector and the Council
• Requires a strategic partnership approach
• Lack of Council appetite for risk as concerns about fear of challenge
• Over complicated processes - less transactional arrangements
• Open book approach to partners
• Concerns about new providers joining the market and then sub-contracting to local providers
• Wellbeing Hub is a great example of how well we work together

Next steps

·  Research those Councils who have managed to change their model and what lessons they have learnt

·  Develop commissioning models with the sector

·  Analyse themes from two market engagement events to inform the community support model

·  Develop commissioning intentions and commissioning model for 2025/26

·  Continue engaging with residents and service providers on bridging current contracts and future community support arrangements 

The Chair commented that this was a very positive message for the Panel to hear.

Councillor Liz Hardman asked what the status of the current contracts were and what will happen from April 2025.

She also asked if it was known whether Julian House would have to close, asked if there was a revised timeline for the Commissioning Model to be in place and what the impact will be on 2025/26 budget.

The Director of Adult Social Care replied that contract bridging arrangements will be put in place with all providers from April 2025, unless any wish to differ. She added that she was hopeful that new contracts would be in place by September 2025 and that she would seek to share a revised timeline with the Panel in January 2025.

She added that this process has been made slightly more difficult by the increase in National Insurance contributions announced in the recent budget.

Kate Morton replied that 3SG were working closely with all 240 providers and said that a further engagement session was planned to take place in the New Year. She added that from a Bath Mind perspective she was concerned, but positive, as they were at the table and able to have an influence on any changes. She added that there is the time to make the changes required.

Councillor Hardman commented that she was hopeful that the Government would put in place exemptions for the 3^rd Sector in relation to National Insurance contributions.

Councillor Joanna Wright asked for an explanation of the term ‘Open book approach to partners’.

The Director of Adult Social Care replied that when working with the independent sector, this is where we are able to look at their finances and assess whether further support or an uplift is required. She added that when working with the 3^rd Sector it is about understanding their pressures in terms of buildings and leases etc.

Councillor Wright said that sounds like a lot of admin to undertake if required for all 240 providers and asked if the Council has the ability carry out such work.

Kate Morton replied that this would only be the case for 36 providers.

The Director of Adult Social Care added that it was also unlikely to be required in the case of all 36 providers, only those that have highlighted any pressures. She added that this work would be carried out by the commissioners.

Councillor Lesley Mansell asked for the Panel to be provided with an updated timeline for the contracts process. She also asked if any comment could be given with regard to the impact of Social Prescribing and collaborative working opportunities.

Kate Morton replied to inform the Panel that the 3^rd Sector have been commissioned by Public Health to carry out a two-year study on Social Prescribing across B&NES. She added that they had almost completed the first year of the study and were in the process of developing a framework and would present that to the Health & Wellbeing Board when complete, possibly in February 2025.

She added that as part of the contracts process they will seek to ensure that there is little to no duplication of services through working collaboratively and to also show a transparency of services.

The Director of Adult Social Care added that she would provide an update on the contracts in the New Year and hoped for the process to be completed by September 2025.

She said that the 3^rd Sector already do a great deal of collaborative working and cited Bath Mind / Age UK, Bath Ethnic Minority Group, the RUH and the Health & Wellbeing Hub as just a few good examples.

Councillor Mansell asked if North East Somerset was covered within these collaboration examples.

Kate Morton replied that Bath Mind and many of the other organisations work across the whole of the Council area.

Councillor Ruth Malloy asked how they would attempt to make processes less complicated and which other Local Authority models have they studied.

Kate Morton replied that they have been looking at the work of a number of 3^rd Sectors and Authorities within London boroughs and the north of England, including Greater Manchester, York and Derbyshire and their frameworks and access to funds.

The Director of Adult Social Care added that they will now be jointly developing their commissioning arrangements prior to any procurement and would include a discussion on the length of the contracts given, whether 3, 5 or 7 years. She said that she had been looking at the work within Richmond and Leicester.

Councillor Wright stated that it would be useful for the Panel to receive a list of the Council’s Statutory Duties that they have to deliver.

The Democratic Services Officer said that he would source that information for the Panel.

The Chair commented that it needs to be understood what the impact will be on our Statutory Duties if and when the proposed savings are made.

The Director of Adult Social Care replied that one of her main duties is to provide the Council with a break-even budget.

Councillor Wright asked what does early intervention in terms of Mental Health look like for the average person.

Kate Morton replied that the role of Bath Mind would be to either make contact with individuals via phone or in person to enable strategies or social prescribing measures to be put in place or to attempt to engage them more within their local community.

The Chair asked to be reminded of when the proposed budget savings would now be made.

The Director of Adult Social Care replied that the Council had received a grant of £400k in 2024/25 from the Department of Health & Social Care which meant that they could defer the proposals and that the saving of £802k needs to be found ahead of the 2025/26 budget.

The Chair commented that she believed that the issue relating to Julian House was being addressed through the Climate Emergency and Sustainability Panel as this matter was within their remit. She added that the Housing Plan was also due to be discussed by that Panel at its January meeting.

The Chair, on behalf of the Panel, thanked the Director of Adult Social Care and Kate Morton for their update and presentation.