Commissioning of care and support services for adults

   A new approach is underway to provide more vulnerable people in the city with high quality care and support services to help them live independently in their own homes. The Council invited organisations to bid for contracts to provide home care and support services worth £9 million for people with learning and physical disabilities, mental health problems, housing needs and addictions. Currently around 850 people receive services but demand is rising steeply. The specification for the service has been developed following extensive consultation with customers. See the downloads section below for Frequently Asked Questions and information on the phasing of the tendering process.

The Report relating to contracts for the provision of Care and Support services was considered by the Council meeting on 19th Nov. The decision was taken to suspend the award of contracts until certain action had been taken and a report was submitted to a specially convened Finance and Resources Committee on 3rd December.  Subsequently it has been decided to have the tenders independently evaluated. This decision is in recognition of the importance of the Care and Support Services Tender to vulnerable people in the city and of the need to insist that all aspects of the tendering process are robust. Consequently, the special Finance and Resources Committee deferred consideration of the circulated report until that independent evaluation has been undertaken.  Pending a decision early in the New Year:

• Service users are being reassured that there will be no interruption to their current care and support arrangements
• Direct Payment applications will continue to be processed as previously agreed
• the Council is asking existing tenderers to keep their tenders open.

Report to Council 19/11/09 on Direct Payments:transitional arrangements for care and support services.

For further meeting minutes and reports, go to Council Papers Online and enter keywords such as "care and support" into the Committee search box.

Care and support tender FAQs (27 kB)

Phases of the tendering process. (36 kB)

Equalities impact assessment (4 MB)