Agenda item

Report ACS11071

The Committee considered a report outlining a review undertaken around dementia day services to ensure the volume and the type of service provided aligned with current and projected requirements.  The contracts for dementia day centres with the Alzheimer’s Society and Bromley Mind would expire on March 31^st 2012, and the contracts for the mainstream centres, including dementia specific places would expire on 30^th June 2012, and in both instances there were options to extend contracts for up to one further year.

Officers outlined the various types of day centre available across the Borough.  Members were pleased to note that the service was changing to meet the needs of its users.  For example provision for carers to drop relatives at a day centre early enough to then travel onto work as Rachel Notley day centre, has opened a breakfast club.  It was also noted that a number of “self funders” accessed the dementia day centres. 

In response to concerns from day centre providers as to a fall in the number of referrals it is proposed that permission would be sought from service users (not being eligible for council support), when they contacted Bromley Social Services Direct (BSSD), to pass their details onto to the local day centre so they could be contacted about the range of support and services that was available to them.

Members also recognised that the service would need to change as people did not necessarily want to attend a day centre where the only common denominator amongst them was their age.  Consideration should be given to signposting people to services that would be of particular interest to them.  However there was still a need for day centre provision for respite, the most vulnerable elderly and those with dementia.

Officers confirmed that there was a “downward trend” in the numbers taking up places at day centres. The greatest demand was for places at centres specialising in services for Dementia sufferers.  However even in these centres the waiting lists for places had dropped dramatically.

The contracts for the dementia day centres, with the Alzheimer’s Society and Bromley Mind, expire on March 31st 2012. The contracts for the mainstream centres, including their dementia specific places, expire on 30th June 2012. It was proposed that the contracts be extended until March 2013 in order to:

• enable debate and discussion to take place about the future direction of travel
• establish volume, type and locations of service to be contracted by the Council
• work with providers to support and encourage them to develop their offer to self-funders
• define and implement the best procurement route for future contracts.

In achieving a significant change in the current style, level and approach to service there are likely to be significant reductions in the level of funding required. However, in order to achieve this in the longer term, there may be a requirement to fund opportunity costs for a period of time. Should this be the case a proposal will be made for the use of the NHS social care invest to save funds.

RESOLVED that the Executive is recommended to approve the extension of the current contracts until March 2013.