North Yorkshire County Council
Executive
5th July 2022
Procurement of a Shared Lives Scheme for North Yorkshire
Report of the Corporate Director – Health & Adult Services
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1.0 |
Purpose of Report
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1.1 |
For Executive Members to approve the procurement of the North Yorkshire Shared Lives Scheme on the open marketplace.
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2.0 Executive Summary
2.1 This paper sets out the proposed future operating model for an effective Shared Lives Scheme in North Yorkshire, a model which achieves excellent outcomes for people and communities, and adds value to the supported accommodation pathway for adults with an assessed care need.
2.2 The Service Development Team have undertaken a review of the Shared Lives Service in North Yorkshire with support from a multi-disciplinary team. The review considered various options, including procurement on the open market, transfer of the scheme to the Council as a directly provided service and transfer of the scheme to an arms-length company developed in partnership with Council Services.
2.3 Taking into account the engagement feedback from people being supported by the current service, shared lives carers and the provider marketplace, it was felt that the procurement of the service on the open marketplace was likely to offer the most meaningful and personalised outcomes for people in need.
2.4 Executive Members are asked to consider the content of this report and agree to the proposed Option as identified in 1.1 above.
3.0 Background
3.1 Shared Lives is a scheme whereby an adult or young person from the age of 16 who needs long-term support spends time with a host family and shares family life. It offers an effective alternative to traditional care options, such as residential or domiciliary care. People receive safe, personal care and support, in a place which feels like home. The service currently supports 88 people with an assessed care need.
3.2 The Council currently commissions Avalon Group to manage the Shared Lives Scheme in North Yorkshire. The provider’s role primarily involves recruitment and training of Shared Lives Carers, matching young people and adults in need with an appropriate Carer family and offering ongoing support to the Carer family and the person in need.
3.3 The scheme has historically supported older people and adults with a learning disability. However, Shared Lives can also benefit other people including care leavers, people fleeing domestic abuse, people with mental health issues or chaotic lifestyles and those who are homeless or seeking move-on from temporary accommodation. It is anticipated that the re-procured service will reach out and engage with a wider range of individuals.
3.4 In summary the re-procured scheme will;
• Promote independent living and self-reliance within the safety of a family home,
• Be personalised to each person who uses the service, enabling co-produced care which is tailored to them,
• Enable people to stay in touch with their family, friends and communities while they receive support, and
• Be safe, of a high quality standard and carefully monitored by social care colleagues and the Care Quality Commission.
3.5 The proposed procurement would have an initial term of 3 years, with an option to extend for two further periods of 1 year each i.e. a potential maximum term of 5 years.
4.0 Issues
4.1 Impact on people:
People who are already in receipt of services under the existing scheme will continue to receive care and support from the same Shared Lives Carer / Host Family, there are no anticipated impacts or changes in this respect.
4.2 As a result of the procurement exercise there may be a new Shared Lives Scheme provider offering support to Shared Lives Carers and People along the lines identified in 3.4 above. A rigorous procurement exercise will ensure that the successful provider will have evidenced their capability and capacity to deliver a quality support service which is focussed on achieving outcomes with the people they support.
4.3 Impact on the market:
There is likely to be interest from regional and national providers in the procurement exercise, recent market testing has demonstrated an interest from a range of providers.
4.4 Impact on the Local Authority:
The social care market is facing unprecedented issues related to cost increases and workforce pressures. However, the procurement of the Shared Lives service is anticipated to be cost neutral.
5.0 Performance Implications
5.1 The future vision for the service has been developed based on extensive research and engagement undertaken with carers, people accessing the scheme and the provider marketplace. A new outcomes-focused service specification will ensure the scheme is visible, accessible and will deliver meaningful, personalised outcomes for both the Shared Lives Carer and the Person. It will also ensure support can be offered to include a wider range of people within the community who may benefit from the service.
6.0 Policy Implications
6.1 This procurement is in line with the intentions set out within the Council Plan 2021-25 and the Health and Adult Services 2025 vision and priorities. The service has been developed in line with national policy and legislation.
7.0 Options
7.1 A service scoping review and options appraisal exercise has been undertaken in preparation for the procurement. Of the various options considered it was felt that a procurement of the service on the open marketplace was likely to offer the most meaningful and personalised outcomes for people in need.
8.0 Financial Implications
8.1 Based on the market engagement exercise, it is anticipated that the procurement of the service will be cost neutral. However there remains a risk relating to the impact of rising inflation the cost of living.
9.0 Legal Implications
9.1 Due to the likely value of the contract, the procurement process will be undertaken in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and the Council’s Procurement and Contract Procedure Rules.
10.0 Consultation Undertaken and Responses
10.1 Extensive engagement has been undertaken with Shared Lives carers and cared-for people, gathering information on their lived experiences of the service via a mixture of digital questionnaires and face-to-face engagement sessions. Engagement with the provider marketplace has also been undertaken, in partnership with the Council Procurement Team.
10.2 A number of providers responded to the Market Engagement Exercise, ranging from large providers managing multiple Shared Lives Schemes to smaller social enterprises and Community Interest Companies. All providers submitted thorough responses and identified examples of innovation and good practice from elsewhere in the country.
11.0 Impact on Other Services/Organisations
11.1 It is anticipated that the re-procured scheme will work alongside the Council’s Children and Young People Services Directorate and local Integrated Care Systems to ensure a seamless, joined-up approach to supporting adults and young people in need.
11.2 The pathways into the shared lives service are being considered as part of the wider supported accommodation opportunities in the Housing Local Government Review workstream.
12.0 Risk Management Implications
12.1 Any risks associated with the scheme will be regularly reviewed and managed, with mitigations and controls put in place to minimise the likelihood and impact.
13.0 Equalities Implications
13.1 Consideration has been given to the potential for any equality impacts arising from the procurement of the Shared Lives Service, the Equality Impact Assessment Screening Tool is attached at Appendix A. It is the view of officers that the proposals should not have significant adverse impact on any groups of people with protected characteristics identified in the Equalities Act 2010.
13.2 A Climate change impact assessment has been completed and is attached at Appendix B. No significant change is expected as a result of the procurement, however it is acknowledged that the wider adult social care transformation programme will provide further opportunities to make improvements.
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14.0
14.1 |
Recommendation(s)
The Executive are asked to note the contents of this report, and to approve the procurement of the Shared Lives Scheme for North Yorkshire, in line with good practice as set out in the above report. |
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Richard Webb
Corporate Director – Health & Adult Services (HAS)
County Hall
Northallerton
5 July 2022
Report Author – Abigail Barron & Adam Gray
Report Presenter - Abigail Barron
Appendices:
Appendix A – Equality Impact Assessment Screening Tool
Appendix B – Climate Change Impact Assessment
Appendix A
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Initial equality impact assessment screening form
This form records an equality screening process to determine the relevance of equality to a proposal, and a decision whether or not a full EIA would be appropriate or proportionate.
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Directorate |
Health and Adult Services |
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Service area |
Service Development |
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Proposal being screened |
Re-procurement of the Shared Lives service
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Officer(s) carrying out screening |
Adam Gray |
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What are you proposing to do? |
Re-procure a Shared Lives service. |
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Why are you proposing this? What are the desired outcomes? |
The current contract has been in place since 1/11/2013 – no end date was set, but 12 months’ notice can be issued at any time. It is now recognised that this notice needs to be served and the service re-procured.
The desired outcome is to have a service and new contract in place as the current contract ends. |
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Does the proposal involve a significant commitment or removal of resources? Please give details. |
This proposal is not anticipated to remove any resource. |
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Impact on people with any of the following protected characteristics as defined by the Equality Act 2010, or NYCC’s additional agreed characteristics As part of this assessment, please consider the following questions: · To what extent is this service used by particular groups of people with protected characteristics? · Does the proposal relate to functions that previous consultation has identified as important? · Do different groups have different needs or experiences in the area the proposal relates to?
If for any characteristic it is considered that there is likely to be an adverse impact or you have ticked ‘Don’t know/no info available’, then a full EIA should be carried out where this is proportionate. You are advised to speak to your Equality rep for advice if you are in any doubt.
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Protected characteristic |
Potential for adverse impact |
Don’t know/No info available |
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Yes |
No |
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Age |
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x |
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Disability |
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x |
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Sex |
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x |
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Race |
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x |
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Sexual orientation |
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x |
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Gender reassignment |
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x |
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Religion or belief |
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x |
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Pregnancy or maternity |
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x |
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Marriage or civil partnership |
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x |
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NYCC additional characteristics |
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People in rural areas |
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x |
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People on a low income |
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x |
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Carer (unpaid family or friend) |
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x |
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Does the proposal relate to an area where there are known inequalities/probable impacts (e.g. disabled people’s access to public transport)? Please give details. |
No
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Will the proposal have a significant effect on how other organisations operate? (e.g. partners, funding criteria, etc.). Do any of these organisations support people with protected characteristics? Please explain why you have reached this conclusion. |
No – no significant impact on how other organisations operate
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Decision (Please tick one option) |
EIA not relevant or proportionate: |
x |
Continue to full EIA: |
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Reason for decision |
The re-procurement of a Shared Lives service is considered unlikely to have any adverse impact. (NB the way the contract is awarded and delivered by the successful external provider will be subject to all the council’s usual checks & governance procedures).
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Signed (Assistant Director or equivalent) |
Dale Owens
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Date |
17/06/22
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Appendix B
Initial Climate Change Impact Assessment
The intention of this document is to help the council to gain an initial understanding of the impact of a project or decision on the environment.
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Title of proposal |
Re-procurement of the Shared Lives service
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Brief description of proposal |
The current contract has been in place since 1/11/2013 – no end date was set, but 12 months’ notice can be issued at any time. It is now recognised that this notice needs to be served and the service re-procured.
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Directorate |
Health and Adult Services |
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Service area |
Service Development |
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Lead officer |
Abigail Barron |
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Names and roles of other people involved in carrying out the impact assessment |
Adam Gray |
The chart below contains the main environmental factors to consider in your initial assessment – choose the appropriate option from the drop-down list for each one.
Remember to think about the following;
· Travel
· Construction
· Data storage
· Use of buildings
· Change of land use
· Opportunities for recycling and reuse
If any of these factors are likely to result in a negative or positive environmental impact then a full climate change impact assessment will be required. It is important that we capture information about both positive and negative impacts to aid the council in calculating its carbon footprint and environmental impact.
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Environmental factor to consider |
For the county council |
For the county |
Overall |
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Greenhouse gas emissions |
No effect on emissions |
No Effect on emissions |
No effect on emissions |
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Waste |
No effect on waste |
No effect on waste |
No effect on waste |
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Water use |
No effect on water usage |
No effect on water usage |
No effect on water usage |
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Pollution (air, land, water, noise, light) |
No effect on pollution |
No effect on pollution |
No effect on pollution |
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Resilience to adverse weather/climate events (flooding, drought etc) |
No effect on resilience |
No effect on resilience |
No effect on resilience |
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Ecological effects (biodiversity, loss of habitat etc) |
No effect on ecology |
No effect on ecology |
No effect on ecology |
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Heritage and landscape |
No effect on heritage and landscape |
No effect on heritage and landscape |
No effect on heritage and landscape |
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Decision (Please tick one option) |
Full CCIA not relevant or proportionate: |
X |
Continue to full CCIA: |
N |
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Reason for decision |
The re-procurement of a Shared Lives services is considered to be a neutral proposal in terms of climate change impact.
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Signed (Assistant Director or equivalent) |
Dale Owens
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Date |
17/06/22
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