Agenda and decisions

RESOLVED

1.1.1  The Executive Mayor awarded a contract to the existing Providers of the following services:

·  Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to deliver a Health Visiting Service for a period of 9 months at a cost of £5,863,500. until 30 June 2016.

·  Whittington Health to deliver Family Nurse Partnership for a period of 13 months, at a cost of £379,167. Until 31 October 2016.

   REASONS FOR DECISION/OPTIONS APPRAISAL

1.2.1  The Health and Social Care Act 2012 and Children and Families Act 2014 places a statutory obligation on the Council to provide certain public health services. The services in this report are currently the responsibility of the NHS to deliver; from October 2015 this responsibility will transfer to the Council.

1.2.2  Health Visiting Services and the Family Nurse Partnership are currently commissioned by NHS England until the end of September 2015. The Council had the option to either novate existing contracts, or issue new contracts on LBH terms and conditions. The latter option has been chosen and the Council will issue a contract with the current providers on the Council’s terms and conditions. This will be for a nine month period for the Health Visiting Service and a thirteen month period for the Family Nurse Partnership.

1.2.3  Staff have been preparing for transfer, reviewing the national guidance and available data to understand the requirements of our young population to ensure that the Public Health function in Hackney is well thought out and delivered to ensure good health and well-being outcomes for local people.

1.2.4  The commissioning and procurement cycle for Health Visiting Services has already commenced, with a procurement plan and new specification outlining the priorities. These priorities have been developed in partnership with key stakeholders including the Hackney and City Clinical Commissioning Group. The new service is due to start on 01 July 2016.

1.2.5  The current Provider of the Family Nurse Partnership took part in a procurement exercise carried out by the Council in 2013, and so the service here will receive a contract which aligns with the contract length advertised. A 13 month contract will be issued, starting October 2015.

1.2.6  The extensions supports the Council to meet its new duties and obligations as set out by the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and the Children and Families Act 2014, to protect and improve the health and wellbeing of local children.

  ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS (CONSIDERED AND REJECTED)

1.3.1  Option 1, decommission: The delivery of Public Health Services for 0-5s is a new statutory duty for the Council - working with children in the early years of their life is key to influencing later life chances. Also, this would mean that children in the borough would be missing out on the Healthy Child Programme and would mean that issues were not being addressed early on, and would lead to an adverse impact and demand on local partner services such as Hospital Accident and Emergency departments and Social Care.

1.3.2  Option 2, in house service: This is not viable  ...  view the full decision text for item 1.