The Overview & Scrutiny Committee met to discuss a call-in regarding the Domiciliary Care Service Contract award. The committee resolved to take no further action on the call-in, thereby confirming the original cabinet decision.

Domiciliary Care Service Contract Award Call-In

The committee considered a call-in regarding the Mayor in Cabinet's decision on 11 September 2024 to award contracts for domiciliary care services, valued at approximately £190 million. Councillor Asma Islam, presenting the call-in on behalf of the requisitioning councillors, raised concerns about the transparency and timeliness of the decision-making process. She highlighted that the report was presented to Cabinet with less than two hours' notice, preventing adequate scrutiny by opposition groups and the Overview & Scrutiny Committee. Councillor Islam also questioned the Council's commitment to the Unison Ethical Care Charter, noting that the report only committed to minimising zero-hour contracts rather than eliminating them, and expressed concern about providers not yet being registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Councillor Gulam Kibria Choudhury, Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Social Care, supported by Georgia Chimbani, Corporate Director of Health and Adult Social Care, and Julie Lorraine, Corporate Director of Resources, defended the decision. They explained that the procurement process had been robust and led by officers, with no direct involvement from executive members in the scoring or selection. They stated that the decision could have been a Mayoral decision but was brought to Cabinet for greater transparency. The urgency of the matter was attributed to exceptional circumstances, which were to be discussed in a private session. Officers also confirmed that the Council remains a signatory to the Unison Ethical Care Charter and that all recommended providers are required to be signed up to it. They assured the committee that adequate controls were in place to monitor the quality of services from CQC-registered providers, and that providers not yet registered would be supported to achieve accreditation.

During the discussion, members raised questions about the reasons for the report's late submission to the Overview & Scrutiny Committee, the rationale behind awarding multiple contracts to smaller providers, and the potential risks associated with providers not yet having CQC accreditation. The committee also discussed the procurement process timeline, which began in July 2023, and the financial implications, including the risk of overspend due to the demand-led nature of the service.

Following deliberations, including a private session to discuss exempt aspects of the report, the committee resolved to take no further action on the call-in. This decision effectively confirmed the original cabinet decision to award the domiciliary care service contracts.

The Chair, Councillor Jahed Choudhury, noted that he had been given insufficient information regarding the Cabinet report prior to agreeing to its urgent consideration, and was not fully informed of the contract's £190 million value. He requested that such oversights not happen again in the future.