Agenda item

To receive a report from the Director of Adults and Health surrounding the development and implementation of the new Community Health and Well-being service pilot.

The Director of Adults and Health submitted an update report surrounding the development and mobilisation of the Community Health and Well-being pilot service.

The following were in attendance:

·  Councillor Fiona Venner, Executive Member for Equality, Health and Wellbeing

·  Councillor Salma Arif, Executive Member for Adult Social Care, Active Lifestyles and Culture

·  Caroline Baria, Director of Adults and Health

·  Victoria Eaton, Director of Public Health

·  Shona McFarlane, Deputy Director Social Work and Social Care Service

·  Kate Sibson, Commissioning Programme Manager, Adults and Health

The Chair invited the Executive Member for Adult Social Care, Active Lifestyles and Culture, Director of Adults and Health and the Commissioning Programme Manager to highlight key aspects of the report.  In summary, the following points were made:

Ø  The Community Health and Wellbeing Service (CHWS) is a transformational approach to delivering health and care services at home, delivered by a collaborative partnership of contracted providers working together on a neighbourhood basis.

Ø  The new service model aims to achieve four key outcomes; A reduction in turnover of care workers; Improvement in continuity of care worker and therefore customer satisfaction; Improvement in service users’ social connections; and Improvement in health and well-being through preventative approaches.

Ø  It is being piloted in Bramley and Stanningley, Armley, Farnley and Wortley and will support approximately 200 people and represents about 8% of the total home care commissioning budget.

Ø  The specification of the service has been developed over the last 18 months and informed by people who use home care services, their families, informal carers, key Third Sector organisations, care staff, care providers, social care professionals, trade unions and NHS colleagues.

Ø  As well as a commitment to pay the Real Living Wage, another key benefit of the new service model is enabling care workers to be paid a salary for a block of hours. This will allow them to use their time more flexibly and fill gaps between calls to provide additional support where needed.

Ø  Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust (LCH) are jointly commissioning the new service with the Council. The Neighbourhood Team will delegate visits to providers for tasks already within the skillset of care workers. The aim is to expand to more complex tasks backed up by enhanced training, career development, clinical oversight and robust governance.

Ø  Following the tendering process, Be Caring and Springfield will be the two providers who will trial delivering the Community Health and Wellbeing Service.

Ø  A three-month mobilisation period was put in place following the contract award.  As such, the pilot is due to start on 9th September 2024.

Ø  The pilot will run for 18 months with a key stock take at 12 months to review success or not against the stated objectives and outcomes. York Consulting Ltd will also undertake an independent evaluation of the service against the stated objectives and desired outcomes.

During the Board’s discussions, the following issues were also raised:

Ø  Delivering person-centred care – Members discussed the benefits of the new service model in terms of having greater flexibility to deliver support in a more personalised, outcome focused and person-centred way as it will involve a three-way meeting between the social worker, provider and the individual in terms of informing and designing an appropriate package of care that will also remain flexible in terms of meeting their ongoing needs.

Ø  Staff benefits – The Board also discussed the key benefits of the new service model for staff in terms of moving away from commissioning on a “time and task” basis, reducing/ eliminating zero-hour contracts, paying for whole shift and also developing career pathways.  It was also acknowledged that TUPE will be offered for eligible staff working for outgoing providers.

Ø  Citizens Panel – Members were pleased to note that the citizens panel commissioned by Healthwatch continues to meet to support the mobilisation plans and implementation, including collaborating on the care worker training programme and reviewing all resident letters.

Ø  Learning from other local authorities – Members discussed the learning drawn from Bradford City Council who recently undertook a similar transfer process. It was reported that since completing the transition to their new contracts, waiting lists have reduced, complaints are down and relationships are much improved between providers and the social work / contract teams. 

Ø  Affordability of the new service model – Based on 2024/25 figures, it was acknowledged that the total cost of the new service is £0.3m more than a traditional home care service. Members were advised that the aim is to be cost neutral by closely monitoring delivery hours and allowing adjustments to right size packages and allowing visits shorter than 30 minutes if appropriate and requested by the individual. Members were also informed that financial monitoring will be ongoing, and a full financial evaluation will be completed at 12 months to establish whether the new model is sustainable ahead of the recommissioning of citywide services. This will also include savings for LCH and the wider NHS by reviewing the impact on hospital admissions and discharges under the new model. 

Ø  National expectations – In anticipation of a national social care workforce strategy being published shortly, Members were informed that the Council has already been liaising closely with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSE) regarding the principles and desired outcomes surrounding this new service model and how it also aligns with the objectives of the Home First Programme.

In conclusion, the Chair thanked everyone for their contributions and reiterated the Scrutiny Board’s support for the new service model, as well as its commitment to continue monitoring progress.

RESOLVED – That the contents of the report, along with Members comments, be noted.