Award Of Home Based Respite Contract

18th August 2011

The Highland Council, working in partnership with NHS Highland, can announce that Carr Gomm Scotland has been contracted to provide home based respite services across most of the Highland Council area, with effect from October 2011.

Carr Gomm Scotland is a charity and not for profit organisation, with a track record of delivering a person centred approach. The organisation is Edinburgh based, and delivers services in many large rural areas across Scotland, including Aberdeenshire, Perth & Kinross and Argyll & Bute. Their care commission grades reflect their high standards, with consistent grades 5's and 6's. This puts Carr Gomm in the top 3% of social care providers in Scotland.

This competitive procurement will ensure that high quality respite services are continue to be provided to children and adults across the authority.

The new contract involves an equalisation of budgets across the area. This addresses variation, and ends what to some degree has been a post-code lottery based on historical budgets. For the first time, there will be equal access to services for all Highland communities.

The new budget allocations will not apply immediately, but as part of a phased process where we ensure that current commitments and needs are met into the future.

Throughout the tender TUPE (Transfer of undertakings protection of employment legislation) has been followed. This means that those staff currently delivering the service have the right to transfer to the new provider, ensuring continuity of staffing for people who receive these services.

The Highland Council seeks to continue to work with the local Crossroads schemes who have previously undertaken this work, and will be writing to invite them to a meeting to discuss future options. These can include new business from the Council, as well as the continuation of the private fundraising activity that Crossroads are rightly highly regarded for.

Councillor Margaret Davidson said: "I am pleased that we have appointed an excellent and highly regarded company, Carr Gomm Scotland, to provide home based respite care. There will be some changes behind the scenes, as the new organisation takes over, but we hope to support the same staff to continue to provide care to people wherever possible."

"We thank local Crossroads groups for the excellent work they have done to date, and we are seeking to continue to work with them to provide excellent services into the future".

Lucy Wren, Chief Executive of Carr Gomm Scotland, said: "We are very pleased to have the opportunity to work across the Highlands and look forward to delivering the best possible service."

Home based respite involves support being provided to children and vulnerable adults in their own homes, enabling their parents or normal carers to have a break from caring responsibilities. Highland Council and NHS Highland commit more than £1m a year to these services.

Caring episodes can involve a few hours or an overnight.

The tender was required as the existing arrangements with the various existing schemes were coming to an end, and (other than in North & West Sutherland):

• Home based respite has never been subject to competitive tender;
• We could not otherwise demonstrate best value and highest quality.

The existing providers were aware that this approach was likely, as it was a pre-condition of the previous service level agreements in 2008.

The service was tendered for eight lots representing the community care districts, excluding Sutherland (which is subject to separate contractual arrangements).

The tender was awarded on the basis of a total score, weighted for 80% on quality and 20% on price. The winning bidder achieved the highest outcome in every lot.

The contract has been awarded on the basis of population size across the Council. This means some changes to historical budgets, which did not provide equity. As a consequence, Caithness, Inverness, Ross-shire and Sutherland will have increased budgets; while budgets reduce in Badenoch & Strathspey, Lochaber, Nairn and Skye & Lochalsh. The changes will be phased to ensure that need continues to be met.

Crossroads Caring Scotland sought clarification of aspects of the contract, in a submission of 17 August. This delayed the award of the contract, to enable that clarification to be provided.

To ensure a smooth implementation, a steering group will co-ordinate the process. The steering group will be made up of representatives from the Council, NHS Highland, service users and carers and the incoming provider.