Decision details

Agreed that:-

(1) The Director of Adult Social Care be authorised to begin a procurement process for the provision of a Trusted Assessor Service in Sandwell to commence on 1 April 2024 for a period of 2 years to 31 March 2026 with the option to extend up to a further one year, to 31 March 2027;

(2) The Council be authorised to award and enter into a contract with the successful bidder, on terms to be agreed with the Director of Adult Social Care for the provision of a Trusted Assessor service in Sandwell to commence on 1 April 2024 for a period of 2 years to 31 March 2026 with the option to extend up to a further one year. The overall contract value for 2 + 1 years is £XXX (£XXX per annum);

(3) The Director of Adult Social Care and/or Monitoring Officer be authorised to execute any documents necessary to give effect to the proposals in recommendation (1) and (2) for the provision of the Trusted Assessor Service in Sandwell;

(4) Approve an exemption to rule 8.8 and any other necessary part of Contract Procedure Rules July 2022 to allow the contract to be awarded to the successful tenderer in the event that the required minimum number of tenders are not received;

(5) The Cabinet Member also approve Variations to the Contract up to a maximum of 10% of the Contract value, should they be necessitated, and that authority to approve such variations be delegated to the appropriate Chief Officer in consultation with the relevant Cabinet Member.

To prevent a gap in provision of the Trusted Assessor Service in Sandwell from 1 April 2024, we propose undertaking a procurement exercise.

The procurement exercise will provide an opportunity to review the current specification of the Trusted Assessor Service in Sandwell in response to demands upon the service and consultation feedback.

Without the provision of this service, increases in hospital delays are likely, which will negatively impact on the Council’s ability to facilitate timely and effective hospital discharges. There are no alternative options to maintain the required patient / customer flow.

In order for care home providers to endorse and have confidence in this service, it is important that the assessor function is independent from both the council and the hospital.

Risks of the service not continuing include:

- Increased delays from hospital
- Increased delays in assessing the patient
- Increased delays in Providers/Schemes ability to accept the individuals in a timely manner
- Reputational risk to the council due to delays in discharges