Agenda item

Report of the Executive Director of People

The Cabinet considered a report of the Executive Director of People, which set out proposals for the tendering of short term home support to support delivery of integrated services across health and social care, to enable people to remain living independently in their own homes for as long as possible. 

Effective home support wass a key feature of the delivery of good Health and Social Care Services.  Home support enabled people to remain living independently in their own homes, supported carers and, if delivered effectively, allowed for flexibility through a personalised approach to respond to changing care needs over time. 

The Cabinet acknowledged that all home support should be as enabling as possible with the key focus of enablement being on points of change in people’s circumstances such as deterioration in health, regaining skills following a hospital stay or a temporary change in the support network surrounding an individual.

Due to the benefits to individuals through increased independence and those to the health and social care system through reduced demand for acute services and/or long term support, both the City Council and the Coventry and Rugby Clinical Commissioning Group (CRCCG) contributed financial resources to the delivery of short term home support though contracts with independent sector providers. 

The existing contracts were awarded in May 2014 and since then there had been significant pressures on health and social care services through increased hospital activity and increases in referrals to social care.  These changes in activity manifested themselves in more people requiring care and support.  It was therefore important that there was capacity to provide short term reabling services that reduced the requirement for ongoing social care, and that there was flexibility to allow for change in response to these demands.

Working in a way that enabled people to be as independent as possible, supported the whole health and social care economy in the City.  It contributed to the delivery of improved outcomes for individuals, reduces the demand on acute services through hospital attendances and ensured that the Council were not committing resources to the support of individuals on a long term basis where this could have been avoided. This, in turn, supported financial sustainability.

The Council currently committed £665k per annum to the delivery of short term home support with CRCCG committing £391k.  To recognise these increases in demand and the health and social care commitment to support people at home and reduce demand wherever possible the CRCCG had agreed to invest up to an additional £700k in the delivery of short term home support.  This increased investment would provide capacity to help ensure that people could access enabling support when required, and for a period that allowed enablement potential to be realised. This would enable step-up support as well as step-down following a hospital admission.

The Cabinet also recognised that a number of people may not be eligible for support from health or social care but would benefit from being more connected into their community through volunteers.  To support this initiative the CRCCG had also agreed to grant fund a voluntary sector partnership to complement short term services through creating sustainable community solutions and further reducing demand on health and social care support.  This approach would support the delivery of the broader principles of the Care Act (2014) of well-being and prevention.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet approve:-

1.  The tendering of short term home support to support delivery of integrated services across health and social care and delegate authority to the Executive Director of People, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult services for the award of contracts following completion of the tender process.

2.  The City Council entering into a grant aid agreement, using resources funded by the Coventry and Rugby Clinical Commissioning Group for a voluntary sector partnership to deliver asset based community support for adults and older people.