Purpose

This report recommends the variation of a contract with Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust for the delivery of the Healthy Child programme, using the Public Health Grant to the total additional sum of £636,974 for the period April 2026 to January 2027. The funding will meet the recurrent staffing cost pressures arising from nationally confirmed NHS Agenda for Change pay uplifts for 2026/27, set at 3.3%.

Decision

The Director of Public Health has decided to approve a contract variation with Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust for the delivery of the Healthy Child programme to meet the nationally agreed NHS Agenda for Change staff pay awards for the period 1 April 2026 to 31 January 2027 for the total additional sum of £636,974.

Reasons for the decision

Public Health commissions a number of services from Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, to deliver both mandated and non-mandated Public Health services. Responsibility for paying the nationally agreed NHS staff inflationary uplifts for Public Health contracts (for staff directly employed to deliver these services) has transferred to Local Authorities (Public Health budgets) from NHS Cheshire & Merseyside Integrated Care Board (ICB), to account for pay awards from 1st April 2023.

The recommendation ensures continuity of a critical statutory service, mitigates risks to safeguarding public health outcomes for children and families, and addresses identified funding gaps in direct staffing costs following nationally determined NHS pay uplifts.

Alternative options considered

Alternative options considered include not awarding any additional funding beyond the agreed agenda for change pay uplift, however the outcome to this would result in high risk of significant service disruption, provider withdrawal, and breach of Council statutory duties.  Alternative providers are limited, and emergency arrangements would likely incur higher costs and destabilise other key services for children and families locally.  Therefore, this option was not deemed appropriate.

Alternative options to mitigate the impact of financial pressures within the service would have a direct impact on the quality and effectiveness of the contract, including statutory functions, therefore this option was not deemed appropriate.