Agenda item

To agree to tender the Health Checks contract for a prime provider to deliver the Health Checks Service.

To agree to tender the Health Checks contract for a prime provider to deliver the Health Checks Service.

                  Approval was sought to tender the Health Checks contract for a prime provider to deliver Health Checks for an initial period of two years.

                  The Vice-Chair of Economy Skills Transport and Environment Scrutiny Board asked if any funds were paid out to GPs prior to the pandemic, and if so how had the Council sought to get the money back. In response, the Cabinet Member for Adults, Social Care and Health confirmed that no funds were paid to GPs. The previous contract had just ended before the pandemic began and Public Health predicted that the national programme would be suspended due to COVID-19. 

                  A further question was asked by the Vice-Chair regarding the voluntary sector and their position with the multi-disciplinary approach and the support that would be provided. The Cabinet Member for Adults, Social Care and Health explained that given this was a programme run by Sandwell Public Health, it was expected for the voluntary sector to play a central role. Public Health had given over 150 grants to voluntary sector groups recently as part of the Vision 2030 programme and they always make them a key partner in everything they do. With health checks, the Council would be providing the resources to voluntary and faith sector organisations to enable them to signpost and even host health check services so that we know we’re reaching everyone in our community.

                  The Vice-Chair questioned the equality of access with the contract. It was explained by the Cabinet Member for Adults, Social Care and Health that given that Public Health would be working with the voluntary and faith sector to bring health checks to communities that normally face cultural or language barriers, it was expected that access would be comprehensive across our whole community. These would include those groups who work with our deaf or blind residents. The Public Health team had a national reputation for achieving this, including pioneering the delivery of local COVID-19 contact tracing services in several different languages and formats.

                  Reasons for Decision

On 9 October 2019, plans were put forward to cease the current prime provider contract and commission directly with GPs to provide Heath checks. However, shortly after this was agreed and the contract ended, the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, and we were unable to work with GPs at that time

The Health Economy landscape had changed since 2019 and the Health and Care Partnership is maturing.

It was proposed that the Council return to a procurement of a Prime Provider for a period of 2 years. Whilst the health economy transitions to the new care structure from a Clinical Commissioning Group to the Integrated Care Partnership and recovered from the COVID pandemic. Nationally, the government was reviewing the current delivery models and

indicators of the NHS Health Checks services. The Council were only looking to work with a prime provider for 2 years as during that time the government review would be finalised and as such there maybe changes needed and new requirements to the service.

The Council did not currently have a service in place due to rightly pausing the process during the COVID Pandemic

Alternative Options Considered

The Council could continue to not provide a health checks service – as a nationally mandated service this would come with national scrutiny.

The Council move forward with an Any Qualified Provider procurement approach, which meant the Council could contract with GPs, private companies and other Qualified Providers from local to national whom were compliant against the tender criteria, who are able to provide health checks across the Borough in a mosaic of provision

.

Agreed:-

(1)     that the Director of Public Health be authorised to tender the Health Checks contract for a prime provider to deliver Health Checks for an initial period of two years up to a total cumulative maximum value of £320,000 for the vatable price (£266,667+20% = £320,000) which would total capped budget of £640,000 over two years.

(2)     that the Director of Public Health be authorised to award and enter into a contract with the successful bidder, on terms to be agreed by the Director of Public Health, for the provision of NHS Health Checks Services.

(3)     that the Director of Law and Governance & Monitoring Officer be authorised to enter into and execute, under seal as may be required, any contracts or ancillary documentation in relation to the award of contract referred to in recommendations above.

(4)     that the Director of Public Health be Authorised to use an exemption to rule 9 of the Council’s Procurement and Contract Procedure Rules 2018- 2019 to waive the requirement for the advertisement of a health checks IT system on the Council’s portal, and instead allow the direct award of a two year contract to Health Diagnostics for the maintenance of the existing health checks IT system, to be aligned to the period that the new delivery model of health checks commences at a maximum value of £80,000 per annum.

(5)     that the Director of Law and Governance and Monitoring Officer to award a contract to Health Diagnostics for a health checks IT management system for a period of two years for a maximum value of £80,000 per annum on terms to be agreed by the Director – Public Health.

(6)     that the Director of Public Health be authorised to use an exemption to rule 8.7 of the Council’s Procurement and Contract Procedure Rules 2018-2019 to waive the requirement for a minimum of 3 written tenders and instead allow the direct award of a two year contract to Health Diagnostics for the maintenance of the existing health checks IT system.