North Yorkshire Council

 

Health and Adult Services

 

Executive Member Meeting

 

12 June 2026

 

REPORT TO Corporate Director of Health and Adult Services in consultation with the

Executive Member for Health and Adult Services

 

Carers Break Service – Extension and Variation

 

 

1.0          PURPOSE OF REPORT

 

1.1         To seek approval for the extension and variation of the Carers Break Service for two years from 1 October 2026.

 

 

2.0           SUMMARY

 

2.1             The Carer Break Service is a jointly commissioned, volunteer-delivered preventative service supporting unpaid adult carers across North Yorkshire. It is delivered through four locality-based Lots by three established lead VCSE providers. The current three-year contract term ends on 30 September 2026, with provision for extensions of 2 + 2 years.

 

2.2             The service is performing well, delivering strong outcomes for carers and supporting statutory duties under the Care Act 2014. The providers are exceeding delivery targets: A total of 16,991 carer support hours were delivered during the contract year representing 164% of the minimum requirement, with delivery across lots ranging from 97% to 257% (highest in Lot 2).

 

2.3             Evaluation shows positive impact on caring roles with 64% of carers reported the service helps them continue caring for longer and reduces or delays the need for additional or statutory care.

 

2.4             Approval is sought to extend the contracts for the first two-year extension period, ensuring continuity of support, market stability, and alignment with the North Yorkshire Carers’ Strategy.

 

3.0             BACKGROUND

 

3.1             In 2023, North Yorkshire Council commissioned three lead providers across four Lots to deliver a countywide Carer Break Service. The service provides planned, preventative breaks from caring responsibilities, primarily through volunteer-supported 1:1 and group-based activities.

 

3.2             The service enables unpaid carers to have meaningful breaks from caring, supporting wellbeing, sustaining caring relationships, and recognising the contribution carers make to their families and communities.

 

3.3             The lead service provider organisations are as follows:

Lot:

Locality:

Lead Organisation

1

Harrogate & Craven

Carers’ Resource

2

Hambleton & Richmondshire

Hambleton Community Action

3

Ryedale, Scarborough and Whitby

Caring Together North Yorkshire (formerly Ryedale Carers Support)

4

Selby

Carers’ Resource

 

3.4             The service is jointly funded by North Yorkshire Council Health and Adult Services (HAS) and NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB).

 

4.0             DETAIL OF SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

 

4.1             The Carer Break Service is a jointly commissioned, volunteer-delivered preventative service supporting unpaid adult carers across North Yorkshire. It is delivered through four locality-based Lots by three established lead VCSE providers. The current three-year contract term ends on 30 September 2026, with provision for extensions of 2 + 2 years.

 

4.2             The service is performing well, delivering strong outcomes for carers and supporting statutory duties under the Care Act 2014. The providers are exceeding delivery targets: A total of 16,991 carer support hours were delivered during the contract year representing 164% of the minimum requirement.

 

4.3             Evaluation shows positive impact on caring roles with 64% of carers reporting that the service helps them continue caring for longer and reduces or delays the need for additional or statutory care.

 

4.4             Approval is sought to extend the contracts for the first two-year extension period, ensuring continuity of support, market stability, and alignment with the North Yorkshire Carers’ Strategy.

 

4.5             In addition to the extension, an uplift of 5% associated with inflation and activity is recommended to ensure service continuity.

 

5.0             PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

 

5.1             The service is subject to robust monitoring three times a year, including quantitative activity data, narrative reporting, and an annual independent service impact evaluation capturing carer and volunteer outcomes.

 

5.2             The total number of carer support hours during the contract year 1/10/25 to 30/9/25 is 16,991 (Carers’ Resource 4231, Hambleton Community Action 4272, Ryedale Carers Support (now called Caring Together North Yorkshire) 8488) – this represents 164% of the minimum support hours expected in the contract. The delivery ranges from 97% for CR to 195% for RCS with HCA at 257%. The majority of referrals are self-referrals and for carers of people with cognitive impairment, primarily dementia. 

 

5.3             A service impact evaluation is conducted at the end of each contract year and reports for years one and two are available. The evaluation assesses how well the service is meeting the aims and objectives set out in the service specification. It also gathers the views and experiences of people using the service, including the extent to which carers agree with the ‘I’ statements which have also been incorporated into the service specification. More recently, in year two, the evaluation has also included insights from volunteers delivering the service. From the evaluation, 64% of carers agreed that the service helps them continue caring for longer and reduces or delays additional care (including statutory care). Carers report positive outcomes from the service - Feeling seen (85%), recognised (79%), understood (74%) and supported (82%); better mental wellbeing (71%) and ability to pursue interests (66%).

 

6.0             ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED

 

6.1             Extending the service by 2 years will allow continuation of the current delivery of the service with no disruption to individuals accessing the support. The contract has scope to use this natural extension. Re-procurement is not required as the services are not underperforming nor does the specification require a material change.

 

6.2             Failure to extend the service could result in service cessation, leaving carers without support and increasing pressure on statutory services.

 

6.3             Extending the contract with no adjustment of the base budget risks reduced service delivery or quality and does not address demand pressures.

 

7.0             FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

 

7.1             It is proposed to increase the total contract value from £319,141.24 to £335,098.30, an increase of £15,957.06 representing a 5% increase. This increase is confirmed as affordable within existing base budget.

 

8.0             LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

 

8.1             Extending the service supports the Council in meeting its statutory duties under the Care Act 2014, particularly in relation to assessing and meeting carers’ needs. The Gateway 4 report has been authorised by legal services.

 

9.0             IMPACT ON OTHER SERVICES/ORGANISATIONS

 

9.1             The extension will have a positive impact on the VCSE sector, maintaining stable partnerships with trusted providers. It supports system-wide integration across health, social care and voluntary organisations, and helps to prevent escalation of need into more intensive services.

 

10.0          CONTRIBUTION TO COUNCIL PRIORITIES

 

10.1          The carers break contract aligns with the North Yorkshire Health and Adult Services Plan 2030 and supports prevention, early intervention and The HAS key priority area for carers.

 

10.2          The programmes of work also support the council’s key themes:

·         Ensure the people of North Yorkshire are safe, healthy and living well.

·         Maximise the potential of North Yorkshire’s people and communities.

 

11.0          RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS

 

11.1          Failure to extend the service could result in service cessation, leaving carers without support and increasing pressure on statutory services.

Mitigation: Approving the extension ensures continuity, stability, and ongoing performance management.

Risk: Volunteer capacity pressures and inflationary cost increases, particularly in areas supporting people with dementia and in rural localities.

Mitigation: Regular service reviews, workforce development activity, and consideration of an inflationary uplift and funding distribution adjustments.

 

12.0          EQUALITIES IMPLICATIONS

 

12.1          An Equality Impact Assessment is not required for a contract extension. The service positively supports carers across diverse age groups and communities.

 

13.0          CLIMATE CHANGE IMPLICATIONS

 

13.1          No specific climate impacts have been identified.

 

14.0          CONCLUSIONS

 

14.1          The Carer Break Service represents a low-cost, high-impact preventative intervention for unpaid carers. Extending the service for a further two years will protect a well-performing service, sustain volunteer infrastructure, and provide a strong evidence base to inform future transformation work.

 

15.0          REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION/S

 

15.1          The recommendations are made to:

·         Ensure continuity of critical support for unpaid carers.

·         Support statutory duties and strategic priorities.

·         Enable further evaluation and service development aligned to HAS priorities.

 

 

16.0     RECOMMENDATION

 

To approve the extension and variation of the Carer Break Service contracts for the period 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2028.

 

 

Report Author:

Natalie Smith

Head of HAS Planning, Public Health Team

 

Appendices

None