Decision details

That the proposed twelve month extension for the combined contract with Bromley Healthcare CIC be approved.

The Education Act 1996, Section 14 places a duty on the Local Authority to secure appropriate Special Educational Needs provision for pupils assessed as having this need, both for children having this need written into their Statement of Education Needs and those assessed as requiring support without the need for Statement.  The Local Authority has met this need in relation to speech and language and occupational therapy for children and young people by working in partnership with Bromley Primary Care Trust  (PCT), and has funded additional capacity for speech and language provision through two contracts with Bromley Healthcare due to expire in July 2012:  a speech and language contract to fund additional capacity for delivery at special schools and schools with  units, and an Inclusion Support Service to provide speech and language support to pupils within mainstream schools. 

A project group consisting of officers from the London Borough of Bromley and Bromley PCT reviewed this provision, and following consideration recommended that the current contract be extended with Bromley Healthcare CIC for a further twelve months to allow the implementation of a pooled budget approach from August 2013 onwards, with a revised and updated specification based on a commissioning strategy to be finalised over the next six months.  At the same time, the Inclusion Support Contract would be combined with the main Speech and Language contract so that it is also extended for a further year. 

An extension option is available to the current contracts as per the London Borough of Bromley Contract Procedure Rules 23.7.3 which allows for a single extension of up to one year subject to appropriate approval from the Director of Resources, the Finance Director and the Portfolio Holder where the value of the extension is greater than £100k.