Decision details

Continuing arrangements for the provision of urgent and specialist support for children and young people - OKD25 (21/22)

Decision Maker: Executive Director Children, Young People and Learning

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: Yes

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Purpose:

In the past year the County Council has experienced high volumes of requests for nurse-led care for children and young people at short notice and often in emergency situations. No existing framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system (DPS) is available at present to enable the County Council to purchase the type of care that meets the needs of these vulnerable children due to the specialist services required and the notice periods given (often same day). The Covid-19 pandemic has also increased the demand for emergency provision to support families as part of the Council’s response.

 

The Council has contracted with a small number of providers to obtain these specialist services over the past year. The need to continue purchasing these services is projected to continue, so it has been necessary to extend existing arrangements with these providers whilst a more competitive framework agreement for purchasing this care is established, to be live from the beginning of March 2022.

Decision:

(1)The Executive Director of Children, Young People and Learning has approved, in retrospect, the extension of the contracts with Bluelight Healthcare and Thornbury Nursing Services for 8 months from 1st July 2021 to 28th February 2022, bringing the estimated total value of the contracts with these providers to £1.187m.

Interests and Nature of Interests Declared:

None

Publication date: 01/11/2021

Date of decision: 01/11/2021

Effective from: 11/11/2021

Accompanying Documents: