Issue details

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (‘DoLS’) is the legal framework that protects people’s human rights if they are deemed to be ‘deprived of liberty’ in a hospital or care home. To meet high levels of demand for DoLS assessments, West Sussex County Council uses a range of in-house and externally commissioned DoLS assessors. From Autumn 2019 a significant tranche of this work has been carried out by a national provider: Action First Assessments ltd, via a framework agreement created by Nottinghamshire County Council.

Approval for this arrangement was initially agreed until 31/03/21. The agreement was then extended for a further period until 31/08/22. The Nottinghamshire CC framework agreement has now ended and therefore West Sussex County Council is seeking to directly award the contract from 31/08/22.

Future contracting decisions are being made in the context of legal changes which will be implemented in the coming years. These changes will replace DoLS with a new legal framework: the Liberty Protection Safeguards. As yet government have not confirmed an implementation date but this new scheme could come into effect from October 2023 onwards.

To deliver business as usual DoLS workload and manage waiting lists ahead of the legal changes, the Director of Adults and Health will be asked to approve a direct contract award for a further 19 months until 31st March 2024. This will ensure continuity of service.  A revised timetable will allow the County Council to review viability of future delivery models and explore opportunities to enhance the service offer to meet increased customer need.