The Officer Key Decision meeting of Newham Council was scheduled to discuss the commencement of a mini-competition for high needs adult mental health supported living. The decision was delegated to Jason Strelitz, Corporate Director of Adults and Health, in consultation with Councillor Neil Wilson, Lead Member for Health and Adult Social Care. The report pack outlined the reasons for the decision and the implications of the proposal.

High Needs Adult Mental Health Supported Living

The report pack included a request to approve the commencement of a mini-competition for adult mental health supported living schemes. The proposal was for two schemes offering 33 units of one-bedroom self-contained accommodation for adults with serious and enduring mental illness. Up to 10 of these flats would offer a Care Quality Commission (CQC) level of support suitable for residents with high levels of need.

The council currently provides supported accommodation to 317 people with severe and enduring mental health needs each year, with the majority of placements made via spot purchasing arrangements¹. The council is delivering a transformation programme to develop a commissioning model where the requirements of Supported Living are determined by the mental health needs of residents, and where the local authority has control over the cost and the quality of the service.

The report stated that interim contractual arrangements have been in place with Look Ahead Care and Support for the past year, which has established a model of block contracts and improved the quality of support for residents, as well as delivering savings to the adult social care budget. The commissioning and contractual arrangements would be formalised within the Dynamic Purchasing Vehicle (DPV) arrangements².

The report pack stated that residents in Supported Living are encouraged to maximise their independence and to engage in activities internally and in the community. Staff will support them towards achieving these goals using a recovery approach.

The report pack stated that the total value of the contract is estimated to be a maximum of £1.3 million per annum, based on benchmarking activity and existing expenditure on adult mental health supported living.

The report pack stated that the proposal supports Priority 1: 'A healthier Newham and ageing well' and Priority 5: Quality of life of Newham Council's 'Building a Fairer Newham' Corporate Plan 2022-26. It also supports 50 Steps to a Healthier Newham Step 9 Make treatment and support services for people with mental illness more accessible.

The report pack also considered the alternative options of doing nothing, and commissioning each scheme separately in a phased approach, but these were rejected.