Millions of pounds are spent each year in Wokingham looking after people when they retire and disabled people.
Looking after people if they are disabled and when they are elderly is called adult social care, and is one of the main duties that local authorities are responsible for.
In Wokingham Borough, care is arranged by the council, which contracts a number of organisations that provide services.
That can include residential care for elderly and disabled neighbours and health visits.
This process is called commissioning. On an individual level, this involves arranging care into ‘packages’ which are designed to meet the needs of the individuals who are looked after.
The council’s adult social care department is in the process of developing a new framework for commissioning, which was discussed at a recent meeting.
Wesley Hedger, service director for strategy and commissioning in the department, stated that the council manages 140 packages of home care and five packages of supported living each month.
Valued at £25 million, it is the biggest commissioning exercise the department undertakes.
The council typically arranges more than 600 new packages each year.
Councillor Mike Smith (Liberal Democrats, Maiden Erlegh & Whitegates) asked how the process worked to allow providers to come forward.
Mr Hedger explained that providers can bid to supply care within the commissioning process, and the new procurement framework will allow more opportunities for healthcare providers to join.
He said: “We opened the framework in 2021, and providers were allowed to bid to be as part of that framework. Then it closed, no new providers could enter that framework arrangement.
“Under this new arrangement, we will open it and then have established periods where we will reopen it and allow new entrants into the market to join the framework thereafter.
“So there are multiple providers on the framework. It’s just when it’s closed, it’s closed, it’s a once-in opportunity.
“So we’re going to be more flexible now and say we’ll open it once and then in a year’s time we’ll open it again and let more providers come and go as we need to meet our need.”
Chris Clarke, head of adult social care commissioning, said that the council currently uses 15-20 providers per month.
Cllr Rebecca Margetts (Conservative, Finchampstead) asked whether providers could be removed for poor performance.
She asked: “So obviously if there were inspections and reports and incidents, you would then be able to remove them from the framework and say that we’re not going to give them any work just because they’re on it, they don’t stay on it for five years.”
Mr Hedger answered: “Yeah, so there will be separate contract stipulations around being on the framework.
“So, if a provider doesn’t meet our quality standards in terms of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), they wouldn’t be able to bid for the business.
“So, yes, we’ll be able to manage that through the contractual process.”
The new commissioning framework was scrutinised at an extraordinary meeting of the council’s health and overview scrutiny committee.
This was done so the new system can be devised to replace the current framework, which expires in October 2026.
