Agenda item

Report CS18073

The Committee considered a report outlining the quality monitoring arrangements for agencies delivering domiciliary care in Bromley and reviewing performance for 2016/17.  The report also proposed an amendment to the Local Authority's current policy to ensure that no new domiciliary care placements were made with agencies rated as ‘Inadequate’ or ‘Requires Improvement’ where possible and that two new agencies be added to the Framework that were both rated as ‘Good’.

The Local Authority commissioned domiciliary care services from external agencies with 68% of care packages currently delivered by 18 agencies via a Framework that had been established in August 2012 to enable the Local Authority to commission care from agencies at guaranteed prices and support monitoring of the quality of care.  Domiciliary care services not fulfilled via the Framework were provided by agencies that had spot contracts with the Local Authority.  The quality of domiciliary care provision was monitored by the Contract Compliance Team as well as annually against the Council’s Quality Assurance Framework, and follow-up visits were made focusing on the delivery of improvement plans arising from the Quality Assessment Framework.  The Council’s Executive had recently authorised the extension of the Framework from 27^th August 2017 to 26^th August 2019 during which time Commissioners would be retendering the service. 

In considering the report, a Co-opted Member emphasised the need for the local care market to be further developed, particularly as an increasing number of service users would be encouraged to take up Direct Payments.  The Director: Adult Social Care confirmed that the Local Authority had appointed a Direct Payment Lead Officer who would be supporting service users taking up Direct Payments, and would also work with providers to develop the social care infrastructure across Bromley.

A Member noted the proposed amendment to the Local Authority's current policy for domiciliary care placements to be made with agencies rated as ‘Good’ or above where possible, and underlined the need for the circumstances around any domiciliary care placements made with agencies rated as ‘Inadequate’ or ‘Requires Improvement’ to be reflected in the risk register.  The Strategic Manager: Procurement and Contracts advised Members that a considerable amount of work had been undertaken on how to best implement this proposal as it had been identified that ratings from previous inspections did not necessarily reflect the quality of current service provision within care settings.  The Local Authority monitored all safeguarding incidents to ensure that care settings implemented all recommendations required to improve provision.

In response to a question from Member, the Strategic Manager: Procurement and Contracts confirmed that a range of work had been undertaken by the Local Authority in partnership with the Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group following the identification of a safeguarding issue by the Care Services PDS Committee at its meeting on 15^th November 2016 around care workers recording and supplying medicines.  Care providers were now working well to manage the recording and supplying of medicines and this would be subject to ongoing monitoring. 

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder be recommended to:

1)  Agree that the Central Placement Team only place new care packages with providers with a CQC rating of “Good” or above where possible; and,

2)  Agree that the following agencies be added to the Framework:

·  Care Direct (CQC – Good)

·  Invicta 24 (CQC – Good)