Purpose

Proposed
decision
To approve changes to the
Community Wellbeing Services, including service redesign, contract
updates and funding changes.
 
A review of certain adult social care
preventative services has been undertaken, namely the Wellbeing
Services in the Community, and Community Navigation services,
funded by KCC and delivered through contractual arrangements with
partners in the voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE)
sector. KCC arranges for the delivery of a wide range of Wellbeing
Services in the Community, in addition to Community Navigation.
 
KCC consulted on proposed changes to its
preventative services from 26 November 2024 to 27 January 2025. The
consultation proposals were to reduce the funding and redesigned
the Wellbeing Services in the Community for older people (55+)
delivered by Social Enterprise Kent (SEK), Involve Kent and Imago
Community. The consultation explained that the service redesign
would incorporate elements of the Community Navigation activity and
consequently the separate Community Navigation contract would be
ended.  The redesigned Wellbeing Service
would focus on people assessed as needing medium to higher levels
of support. The proposals also included ceasing to fund the
Innovation Fund and back-office support and removing unallocated
spend in the Shaw Trust in the Mental Health Community and
Wellbeing Service. 
 
There are services which would not be affected
by this decision which are:

Wellbeing Services in the Community
for people with dementia and their families
Wellbeing Services in the Community
for those with a physical disability
Wellbeing Services in the Community
for adults with sensory impairments
Mental Health Wellbeing Services in
the Community (with the exception of the Innovation Fund)
Community Navigation for
Carers.

 
How the proposed
decision supports the
Framing Kent's Future - Our
Council Strategy 2022-2026
 
The consultation proposals
align with priority 4 of Framing Kent’s Future –
Delivering New Models of Care and Support and our commitment to
reshaping our commissioning practice to ensure we build strategic
partnerships with our providers, through earlier engagement, more
consistent and proactive commissioning practice, and a stronger
focus on co-designing services.
 
Options (and options
considered but not taken forward to consultation)
 
The table below shows the different options
considered.
 

Alternative option considered

Why the option has not been taken forward to
consultation

Maximise potential savings by
ending KCC’s investment in all Wellbeing Services in the
Community and Community Navigation contracts.
 
Total saving:
£8.74million
This is based on the Adult
Social Care contribution for the financial year 2024-2025 as
outlined in section 3 of the consultation document.
 

Ending all Wellbeing Services
in the Community and Community Navigation without an alternative
approach and support would have a significant negative impact and
increase the risk in more people needing social care more
quickly.
 
This would also require KCC to
consider how to fulfil the statutory responsibility for carers as
the commissioned services undertakes carers’ assessments.
Therefore, this has not been taken forward.
 

To stop funding the Community
Navigation Contracts and reduce funding for the Wellbeing Services
in the Community that support people 55+, to only support people
assessed as needing medium to higher levels of support. And stop
the Innovation Fund, back-office support and remove the unallocated
spend of the Shaw Trust. This would save a total of
£3.45million.
 

In discussions with providers
in scope of the proposal it was felt that elements of Community
Navigation need to be incorporated into the Wellbeing Services in
the Community for people aged 55+ as it supports some of the most
vulnerable and socially isolated people in Kent, and often people
with multiple and complex needs, including frailty.
Therefore, this option has not
been taken forward.

Do nothing.

This option has not been taken
forward as this will not achieve the strategic objectives
of:

removing elements of
duplication within the prevention approach.

ensuring prevention
services are more efficient, targeted and making best use of
limited resources.
focusing on the areas
of greatest need.
contributing towards
KCC’s savings.

 
 
Financial
Implications
An estimated £3.45million full year
saving were attached to the consultation proposals, achieved
by:
 

Cease to commission the Community
Navigation services for older people (55+) delivered by Involve
Kent, Imago Community and SEK. This amounts to a
saving of £0.85million.
Redesign Wellbeing Services in
the Community for older people (55+) delivered by SEK, Involve Kent
and Imago Community. This amounts a cost saving of £2.24million.

 
The table below shows the current contract
values and funding that would be available to the organisations if
the proposal is implemented.
 

Service

Annual contract
value (million)

Proposed funding
(million)

Wellbeing Services in the Community for older
people (55+)

Involve Kent (West Kent)

£0.99million

£0.42million

Involve Kent (North Kent

£0.66million

£0.28million

SEK (East Kent)

£1.24million

£0.52million

Imago Community (Ashford, Canterbury and
Swale)

£0.98milion

£0.41million

Total

£3.87million

£1.63million

 
3.   
Mental Health Wellbeing Services in the Community (Live Well
Kent) - delivered by Porchlight and Shaw Trust.
 
Innovation Fund: This would be a
saving of
£0.28million.
Back-office support: This would result in a
saving of £0.04million. 
Removal of Shaw Trust unallocated spend: A
total of £0.04million is the spend that is unallocated.
Together, this would total £0.36million.
The rest of the services commissioned with Live Well Kent and
Medway are not affected by this proposal.
 
However, there are potential costs to social
care which could reduce the anticipated savings. The
consultation explained that KCC estimated that these costs would be
between £18,000 to £180,000 (full year costs),
based on modelling the potential demand and financial impact on
adult social care. This has been informed by professional
knowledge, experience and data provided by providers.
 
Intended decision
 
Following the consultation,
there has been consideration to consultation feedback and further
work and analysis on the proposals undertaken. It is now intended
that the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health
will take a key decision regarding the future of the relevant
services, i.e.: Community Navigation Services for older people
(55+); Wellbeing Services in the Community for older people (55+);
and Mental Health Wellbeing Services in the Community (Live Well
Kent).
 
It is intended that this
decision will be taken at the same time as a decision on the
adoption of KCC’s draft Adult Social Care Prevention
Framework: 2025-2035. The Cabinet Member will be asked to consider
the papers relevant to both decisions before taking either
decision.
 
 
 

Decision

 
As Cabinet Member
for Adult Social Care and Public Health, I agree to:
 

a)   
APPROVE the
following changes (which were subject to public consultation) to
the Community Wellbeing Services,

 

·     
Cease to commission the Community Navigation
services for older people (55+) delivered by Involve Kent, Imago
Community and South East Kent (SEK). Three months’ notice to
be given to providers.

·     
Reduce funding and redesign the Wellbeing Services
in the Community for older people (55+) delivered by SEK, Involve
Kent and Imago Community. This would be achieved by varying each of
the three contracts and incorporate elements of community
navigation. The service to focus on supporting people needing
medium to higher levels of support, support for people assessed as
having lower-level needs would stop. Work on this will start as
soon as any decision has been taken, involving discussions with
providers on the design and key performance indicators of the
services, to be implemented three months after the decision. The
varied Wellbeing contracts to end on 31 March 2027.

·     
Mental Health Wellbeing Services in the Community
(Live Well Kent and Medway) - delivered by
Porchlight and Shaw Trust. The proposal is to undertake a contract modification to each
provider’s contract, removing the requirement to deliver the
Innovation fund. Reduce the contract value for the Innovation Fund
and back-office supportand remove Shaw
Trust unallocated spend; and

 

b)   
DELEGATE authority to
the Corporate Director Adult Social Care and Health to take other
relevant actions, including but not limited to finalising the terms
of and entering into required contracts or other legal agreements,
as necessary to implement the decision.