Decision Maker: Officer Decision Making
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: No
Is subject to call in?: Yes
Purpose:
Report of the Deputy Director/Joint Associate
Director Integrated Strategic Commissioning, Health and Adult
Social Care Directorate, seeking a revision to the existing Section
75 Partnership Agreement between Southampton City Council and
NHS Southampton.
Decision:
(i)
To approve the revision of an existing partnership
arrangement (in accordance with Section 75 (S75) of the National
Health Service Act 2006) for a three year period (with the option
of a further two year extension), between Southampton City Council
and NHS Southampton to enable the City
Council to become host agency for the pooled fund and assume lead
commissioner responsibility for the services.
(ii)
To approve the revision of the service specification
and re-procurement of the services to achieve improved quality and
efficiencies through economies of scale.
Reasons for the decision:
- The Executive
Director for Health and Adult Social Care is asked to approve the
recommendations under a delegation granted by Cabinet on 20
December 2010. The delegation is
‘To delegate to the Executive Director for Health and Adult
Social Care, after consultation with the Cabinet Member for Adult
Social Care and Health, authority to take any decision and/or
develop approaches that commit Council resources that are within
budget and policy to deliver better outcomes for local people and
support the aims of the NHS White Paper
– Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS’
- The benefit of a
Section 75 Partnership Agreement for jointly commissioning
community equipment services is that it enables a joined up
approach to meeting both health and social care needs to support
people to achieve rehabilitation and independence at home and
offers efficiency gains through economies of scale and increased
purchasing power, whilst meeting the joint priorities and
objectives of the Council and the NHS.
- The reason for
revising the agreement so that the City Council takes on the role
of lead commissioner is that it will enable a local commissioning
focus to be maintained during a period of substantial change in the
NHS. The
reason for revising the scope and specification for the service and
testing the market is to:
·
Set clear requirements for service quality and
response times which should help decrease the frequently long
delays which impede patients discharge from hospital and inhibit
their safety and confidence in coping at home.
·
Achieve further economies of scale through
integrating other equipment budgets and
functions which currently sit outside the service.
Alternative options considered:
- To
continue the current Section 75 Agreement with NHS Southampton City as the lead commissioner
– not recommended on the basis that it was felt that by
transferring the lead commissioning responsibility to the City
Council, the Southampton City focus could be better maintained
during a period of substantial change in the NHS.
- To work
with the existing service provider to redesign the service to
deliver the new service specification – not recommended on
the basis that the service is being significantly redesigned and
other functions/services/ budgets are being integrated, such that
it would seem sensible and justifiable to test the wider
market.
- To
commission the service collaboratively with other authorities/
PCTs across SHIP over a wider area
– this was explored with Portsmouth and Hampshire but not
recommended on the basis that the other authorities are not at the
same stage as Southampton in having a S75 already in place, having
reviewed the service and being ready to procure a new service and
to wait would bring about an unacceptable delay.
- To
dissolve the Section 75 Agreement and commission health and social
care equipment separately – not recommended on the basis that
economies of scale and efficiencies would be lost and services
fragmented.
Publication date: 16/01/2012
Date of decision: 16/01/2012
Decided at meeting: 16/01/2012 - Officer Decision Making
Effective from: 25/01/2012
Accompanying Documents: