Our ref: FOI/NCS/0076Taylor
19 February 2013
Dear Mr Taylor
Freedom of Information Act Request: 0076Taylor
I am writing in response to your request received on 30 January 2013 for information about Commissioning Services for Adult Social Care and Children’s departments – please see below.
ADULTS
1. Who is your main contact for Commissioning Services for Adult Social Care?
Answer: Mike Alsop, Head of Integrated Commissioning.
2. Do you currently use an IT system to support your contract management? If yes please name the system and suppliers?
Answer: University of St Andrew’s Client Records and Outcomes data collection and reporting system for supporting people providers.
In-house system for ASC.
3. How much does this IT system cost, when did you sign up for the contract and how long was the contract?
Answer: University of St Andrew’s - £1,575 (January 2013 until January 2014).
In house – free of charge, no contract.
4. Once service users are assessed, what is the split between self-funders and people reliant on the local authority to pay for their care (full or part)?
Answer: There are currently 30.0% of service users paying the full cost of their care including direct payment service users.
5. Do you provide brokerage services for self/part funders?
Answer: Warrington Borough Council piloted a brokerage service during 2011 and uptake was very low so the pilot ended.
6. Do you use/plan to use micro-procurement/commissioning?
Answer: This would depend on the individuals needs and WBC would use this method if required via a single purchase contract.
7. Do private brokers operate in your area?
Answer: Currently not aware.
8. How do you currently procure your services, please provide information of the split between the following methods? e.g. via commissioning teams, social workers do it themselves, panels for expensive care packages, micro procurement/commissioning, personalisation/self-directed support.
Answer: All services are advertised and procured via The Chest portal with the support of a Contract Manager from the Integrated Commissioning Team or Corporate Procurement Team with the exception of single purchase contracts which are negotiated by social workers and authorised by a Head of Service, dependant on the needs of the individual this could involve micro commissioning. There is a panel for expensive care packages and service users are offered a personalised budget.
9. What is the proportion of the above? Please provide me with an estimated split between all of your service types.
Answer: Adult Social Care:
5 Framework Agreements;
58 Contracts/SLA’s (31 of which are Supporting People contracts);
1 Grant;
6 Block Contracts;
156 Single Purchase Agreements (approximate as continually changing).
10. How many providers do you contract with and are they internal/external?
Answer: Warrington Borough Council contracts with approximately 172 external providers.
11. How many contracts and of what type does your councils manage in the commissioning of adult social care services? e.g. is it referrals to in-house services, predominantly spot purchasing, purchasing under framework contracts/agreements, block contracts or cost and volume contracts
Answer: Please see response to question 9 above.
12. Do you have a performance management framework for monitoring the performance of providers? If so then would it be possible to forward or provide a link to it.
Answer: Adult Social Care contracts are performance managed every quarter/six monthly dependant on the risk assessment. The performance information is bespoke to each service and the provider supplies this data every quarter to the Contract Officer. The Commissioner and Contract Officer then review this information prior to a contract review meeting with the provider taking place. At the contract review meeting, the following elements are checked/discussed:
- Occupancy against contract requirements;
- Staffing;
- Health and Safety;
- Service User Outcomes;
- Inter Agency Liaison;
- Contract;
- Insurance;
- CRB Disclosures;
- Fire Regulations;
- Quality Assurance Inspections;
- Policies and Procedures;
- Payment;
- Service Development;
- Any Other Business;
- Date of next meeting agreed
- Actions and Recommendations
A record of the meeting is noted and put into the review document, agreed and signed by all parties. The Contract Officer will ensure any actions or recommendations are completed in the timescales agreed.
For supporting people service WBC uses the Supporting People Quality Assessment Framework and Supporting People Outcomes Framework, in addition to the internal quality framework detailed above.
CHILDREN
1. Who is your main contact for Commissioning Services for Children’s Services?
Answer: Rick Howell –
2. Do you currently use an IT system to support your contract management? If yes please name the system?
Answer: The Chest
3. How much does this IT system cost, when did you sign up for the contract and how long was the contract?
Answer: This is an annual contract signed as part of the Local Authorities in the North West under an agreement with Centre of Excelleance and is part of a corporate contract providing central portal access to web based procurement.
4. How do you currently procure your services for Children’s SocialCare, please provide information of the split between the following methods e.g. via commissioning teams, social workers do itthemselves, panels for expensive care packages,micro-procurement/commissioning
Answer: All procurement of services is informed and supported by the commissioning team. The external Agencies under both the Residential and Fostering contracts are contracted using the Placement North West framework with potential options relayed to the SW teams so that they can make an informed and professional decision based on their understanding of the young person's needs. There are panels for short break care which allocates resources. Commissioning of other services are done in conjunction with the service managers and via the Chest
5. What is the proportion of the above?
Answer: Circa £5m for external agency placements and circa £1.2m for other general all contracts that support Children and young including short breaks.
6. Do you use/plan to use micro-procurement/commissioning?
Answer:Not clear what this means so if this is asking about small value contracts, we could and would use The Chest to advertise and commission these but have no contracts of such small size currently.
7. How many providers do you contract with and are theyinternal/external?
Answer: The providers for Foster care are on the Placement North West framework for Fostering which is external and there are 28 companies that we contract with to date.
Residential commissioning is external and there are over 42 providers that we can commission with as they are on the Residential NW framework. We have 22 service contracts, 21 are with external providers, and 1 is with an internal provider.
8. How many contracts and of what type does your councils manage inthe commissioning of Children’s social care services? e.g. is itreferrals to in-house services, predominantly spot purchasing,purchasing under framework contracts/agreements, block contracts orcost and volume contracts
Answer: As above. For residential and fostering placements are purchased under framework contracts/agreements as and when required. All other contracts are either block contract or cost and volume and have been procured via standard procurement arrangements.
9. Do you have a performance management framework for monitoring theperformance of providers? If so then would it be possible toforward a copy or provide a link to it.
Answer:
Please refer to a standard performance management framework used to monitor the performance of providers.
If you are not satisfied with my response to your request for information, you may ask the Council for an internal review of this decision. You should write to Timothy Date, Solicitor of the Council at Warrington Borough Council, Quattro, Buttermarket Street, Warrington, WA1 1BN, giving details of your complaint. You should do this as soon as possible, or, in any case, within two months of your request being refused.
If, following the outcome of the internal review, you remain dissatisfied with the Council's response to your information request; you have the right under section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to appeal to the Information Commissioner at:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Fax: 01625 524510
Website:
Yours sincerely
Stephen Reddy
Assistant Director - Adult Social Care
Neighbourhood & Community Services