Decision details

Agreement to proposed procurement plans for the delivery of Immediate Home Support, which provides short term interventions, including:

·       Discharge to assess (hospital discharge)

·       Reablement

In response to the covid-19 pandemic Barnsley Council and Barnsley Clinical Commissioning Group commissioned two services delivering short term Home care and support and Reablement services to individuals ready for discharge from hospital. The services were commissioned in response to the Government requirement for Councils and CCG’s to implement discharger to assess arrangements to ensure the flow through hospitals was maintained and those people deemed medically for discharged were not held in hospital awaiting assessment.

Following consultation with relevant health and social care partners it was agreed that the need for such support would be required for a further period to minimise and relieve the pressure on hospitals as a result of the current pandemic. Following a review of provision there were efficiencies to be gained from bringing the contracts together and procuring a single provider to deliver the range of support required. 

The new commission, to start on 1^st April 2021, brings both elements of service into a single contract, enabling the provision of short term packages of support and reablement, whilst ensuring social care assessment of individual needs are undertaken that allows for transitional arrangements to be put in place to meet longer term support needs.

Consideration was given to extending the existing contracts, however this was discounted as there was evidence financial savings under the existing block contract arrangement could be made by contracting with a single provider.