Issue - meetings

The Provision of General Nursing Care Block Beds in Somerset

Meeting: 15/01/2025 - Executive (Item 71)

71 The Provision of General Nursing Care Block Beds in Somerset pdf icon PDF 209 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

Following consideration of the officer report, appendices and discussion, the Executive resolved to agree:

 

  1. the outcome of the procurement process to award contracts to the supplies named in the Tender Evaluation Report Confidential Appendix B for General Nursing Block Beds, for the length of 5 years (plus permitted extensions of 2 years + 2 years + 1 year). 
  1. Commissioners to work with the care home market to explore a direct award for 10 Block Beds in Yeovil due to no bids being received during the procurement tender. 
  2. the case for applying the exempt information provision as set out in the Local Government Act 1972, Schedule 12A and therefore to treat the attached confidential Appendix B in confidence, as it contains commercially sensitive information, and as the case for the public interest in maintaining the exception outweighs the public interest in disclosing that information. 

 

Minutes:

The Leader of the Council, Cllr Bill Revans, invited the Lead Member for Adults Services, Housing and Homelessness, Cllr Sarah Wakefield, to introduce the report. Cllr Wakefield explained that this is part of the CQC requirement to manage the market; that it prevents negotiating for beds on a spot basis which can increase costs; that block beds are rarely unoccupied; that this controls the price in the market and fixes the availability; that this was coming to Executive Committee because of the value of the contract: £2m per year with a 5 year contract and an optional 2 year extension.

 

Cllr Wakefield proceeded to hand over to James Sangster, Service Manager – Adults and Health Commissioning, who explained that these were for areas with high demand and lower availability; that part of the decision was taking a direct award for Yeovil to get block beds as there had not been any bids in that area.

 

The Leader of the Council invited comments from Committee Members and other Members present, with officers providing responses as appropriate. Questions and points raised included: the procurement advice on the direct award; the level of confidence of finding a provider in Yeovil; the development of new care homes in Yeovil; the relationships with providers in Yeovil including the developers of homes; the impact of new nursing and residential homes on the market and the health and social care system.

 

The Leader of the Council concluded the discussion and proceeded to a vote on the recommendations, which were agreed unanimously.

 

Following consideration of the officer report, appendices and discussion, the Executive resolved to agree:

 

  1. the outcome of the procurement process to award contracts to the supplies named in the Tender Evaluation Report Confidential Appendix B for General Nursing Block Beds, for the length of 5 years (plus permitted extensions of 2 years + 2 years + 1 year). 
  1. Commissioners to work with the care home market to explore a direct award for 10 Block Beds in Yeovil due to no bids being received during the procurement tender. 
  2. the case for applying the exempt information provision as set out in the Local Government Act 1972, Schedule 12A and therefore to treat the attached confidential Appendix B in confidence, as it contains commercially sensitive information, and as the case for the public interest in maintaining the exception outweighs the public interest in disclosing that information.