Purpose

The Home Care and
Support Service was secured via a competitive tender in 2019 and
mobilised in April 2020.  Providers
appointed to the Home Care and Support – Flexible Purchasing
System were paid at hourly rates tendered in year 1 of the
contract. 
 
In December 2021 the
DHSC announced a Market Sustainability and Fair Cost of Care
exercise with the objective of addressing care and support market
sustainability issues.  The outcome of
the FCoC was concluded with the results published 1 February
2023.  The FCoC relating to domiciliary
care was £22.47/hr and the proposal that current hourly rates
be aligned to this figure. 
 
It
is proposed that a variable increase is applied to contracted hourly
rates with bias towards providers who deliver service in the rural
semi-rural areas of the Borough.   The detail of the resulting rates is
included in Appendix 2 (exempt from publication). 
 

Decision

ROTHERHAM METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL

RECORD OF OFFICER EXECUTIVE DECISION
 

Date of Decision:

16 March
2023

Decision Maker:
(Including Job
Title)

Ian Spicer
Strategic Director,
Adult Care, Housing and Public Health

Specific Delegation:
(If any)

Appendix 9, Section
4C3, of the Council’s Constitution provides that “The
Strategic Director of Adult Care, Housing and Public Health is
authorised to discharge executive functions through the
commissioning and provision of social services for adults and
public health services for the whole population and delivery of
housing for the Borough, including:- (4) Strategic Commissioning;
(a) Commissioning”. 

Brief Description of
Decision:
 

The Home Care and
Support Service was secured via a competitive tender in 2019 and
mobilised in April 2020.  Providers
appointed to the Home Care and Support – Flexible Purchasing
System were paid at hourly rates tendered in year 1 of the
contract. 
In December 2021 the
DHSC announced a Market Sustainability and Fair Cost of Care
exercise with the objective of addressing care and support market
sustainability issues.  The outcome of
the FCoC was concluded with the results published 1 February
2023.  The FCoC relating to domiciliary
care was £22.47/hr and the proposal that current hourly rates
be aligned to this figure. 
It
is proposed that a variable increase is applied to contracted hourly
rates with bias towards providers who deliver service in the rural
semi-rural areas of the Borough.   The detail of the resulting rates is
included in Appendix 2 (exempt from publication). 
 

Reasons for the
Decision:
 
 

This proposal is recommended as it will address issues of severe
capacity shortfall in certain geographic areas.  This option will also reduce the dependency on
temporary contracted provision avoid fragmentation in the market
and help to reset and stabilise the Home Care and Support Flexible
Purchasing System.

Details of alternative
options considered and rejected:

Standardise the increase to contracted Home Care and Support
provider  hourly rates based on the
outcome of the FCoC exercise - median rate of
£22.47/hr.
This option is not
recommended as this would fail to stabilise the recruitment and
retention issues and shortfall in capacity.

Conflicts of interest
declared by any Executive Member consulted by the decision maker
which relates to the decision:

No conflicts of
interest declared.

Dispensations
Granted:
(If any)

N/A.

Reports or parts of
reports considered

None
considered.

 
I certify that this
is a true record of the Executive Decision in relation to
the variable increase to 
contracted Home Care and Support Services hourly rates
2023-24.
 

Signed by the Decision
Maker                                    
Dated:  16/03/2023
Name:  Ian Spicer
                    
Job Title: Strategic Director
of Adult Care, Housing and Public Health