Decision details

COMMISSIONING OF HEALTH VISITING SERVICES FROM OCTOBER 2015

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: Yes

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Decisions:

Kelechi Nnoaham (Director of Public Health) submitted a report providing an overview of the role of the Health Visiting Service, highlighting local need and outlining future development plans in the context of an integrated service for families with children pre-birth to five years old.

 

Approval was sought for the local authority’s commissioning and contracting approach to health visiting services, following the transfer of commissioning responsibility from NHS England on 1 October 2015.

 

The proposal would provide continuity of support to families, would enable the Council to implement its contract terms and conditions at the earliest opportunity and would align the length of contract to the children’s centre contracts awarded in 2014.

 

Councillor McDonald (Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Public Health) introduced the proposals.

 

Julie Frier (Consultant in Public Health Medicine), Liz Cahill (Strategic Commissioning Manager) and Andrea Langman (Commissioning Officer) attended the meeting for this item.

 

In response to questions, Cabinet Members were advised that –

 

(a) 

officers were of the opinion that Plymouth’s indicative allocation of £5.116m for 2015/16 was fair following a comparison with other local authority areas. Councillor Evans (Council Leader) asked to have sight of the comparisons with other local authorities in the south west and with Plymouth’s statistical neighbour local authorities, where either had received a greater amount of funding per head of population (under the age of five years) than Plymouth;

(b)

NHS England published an annual national service specification for health visiting services, which was then supplemented by a locally developed specification.  This provided the flexibility to ensure that delivery arrangements reflected the local integrated services agenda.

 

Alternative options considered and the reasons for the decision –

 

As set out in the report.

 

Agreed that upon transfer of commissioning responsibility, Plymouth City Council will award a two year contract to the existing provider of Health Visiting Services, Plymouth Community Healthcare, for the period 1 October 2015 to 30 September 2017, with the option to extend for up to a further three years.

Publication date: 13/02/2015

Date of decision: 10/02/2015

Decided at meeting: 10/02/2015 - Cabinet

Effective from: 21/02/2015

Accompanying Documents: