Agenda item

Report CS16003

The Portfolio Holder presented a report outlining a gateway review undertaken of the Local Authority’s overnight residential short break provision at Hollybank for which the existing contract would end on 31^st March 2017, and seeking approval to extend the existing contract for a period of six months from 1^st April 2017 to 30^th September 2017, after which the contract would be jointly retendered with Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group.

The Hollybank service offered regular planned overnight short breaks with the highest standard of care for children and young people with multiple disabilities and complex health care needs, and worked in partnership with their families and other carers to maintain children and young people within their families.  Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group commissioned nine bed spaces per night at Hollybank, which included one emergency bed available on a 24 hour, seven day a week service.  As at November 2015, 59 children and young people were registered with Hollybank for regular short breaks with an average allocation of two to three nights per month, and the emergency bed was occupied for an average of six nights per month. 

The review of Hollybank had concluded that it was a good quality provision, rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted in every category, and was highly valued by service users and their families.  In order to maintain Hollybank with a context of value for money, the possibility of reducing the number of block commissioned bed spaces had been identified, as had the potential to introduce a funding model to mitigate against an increased demand for bed spaces over and above the block commissioned number.  The synergy between the Hollybank service and the Integrated Children’s Community Nursing Team had been recognised and a ‘task and finish’ project team had been established in February 2016 to explore the integration of these services.  The possibility of extended the remit of the Hollybank provision to meet the short break needs of children and young people with life limiting conditions or as a ‘step down’ from hospital discharge had also been identified and would be considered.

It was proposed to extend the existing contract for a period of six months from 1^st April 2017 to 30^th September 2017, to allow time for strategic discussions between the Local Authority and Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group on the future of the community contract beyond March 2017 and the potential for developing integration of services across both children and adults services to be undertaken after which the contract would be jointly retendered with Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group.

RESOLVED that the Council’s Executive be recommended to:

1)  Agree to extend the contract for overnight residential short break provision for a period of six months from 1^st April 2017 to 30 September 2017; and,

2)  Agree to commencement of the joint procurement procedure for the provision in order for a newly commissioned service to be in place from 1^st October 2017 which would continue to be led by Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group as the lead commissioner.