Councillor Aspinall (Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care), supported by Gill Nicholson (Head of Innovation & Delivery) and Alan Hockings (Commissioning Officer, Integrated Commissioning) introduced the item and highlighted the following points:

a)    That Cabinet recommends awarding a 3.25 year contract to Milbrook Healthcare limited for the delivery of Plymouth community equipment service following the liquidation of the previous provider NRS Healthcare Limited;

b)    NRS Healthcare Limited (NRS) was awarded the contract in 2022 through a competitive tendering process with the agreement intended to run until January 2029 subject to all available contract extensions;

c)    In June 2025, Plymouth City Council was notified along with 40 other contracting authorities, of NRS healthcare’s unstable financial position and the risk of insolvency by the 31^st July 2025;

d)    Although NRS proposed a recovery plan, it required unanimous support from all the contracting authorities, and was not considered viable for a long-term solution;

e)    The NRS contract provided and maintained equipment and minor adaptations that were critical in helping people maintain independence and supporting carers in their valued role;

f)     Council officers began exploring alternative arrangements for the service, including:

I.              Compliant procurement options;

II.            The possibility of an emergency response;

III.           To ensure continuity of care;

IV.           To reduce disruption to local services and individuals.

g)    A short term emergency contract was put in place with Millbrook Healthcare, which provided the supply of essential equipment during a two month period;

h)    The proposed long-term contract with Millbrook Healthcare would restore the service to its intended standards and procure a new contract for February 2029;

i)     The service provided equipment relating to prescribed clinical need to support people within their own homes, and this included equipment such as:

I.              Beds

II.            Mattresses

III.           Mobility Aids

j)     Referrals to the service were made from prescribing organisations such as:

I.              Livewell Southwest

II.            University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

III.           St. Luke’s Hospice

IV.           Practice Plus Group Hospitals

k)    The contract for Plymouth included the delivery and maintenance of equipment, and returned equipment and supported 17,000 people across Plymouth each year;

l)     The key service objectives for CES were:

I.              To provide services that were safe, sustainable, cost efficient and effective for the benefit of all service users;

II.            To contribute to the prevention of inappropriate hospital emissions;

III.           To reduce the use of domiciliary care, care home placements, residential children’s placements through the provision of timely and safe community equipment and minor adaptations;

IV.           To support safe and timely hospital discharge;

V.            To reduce the number of separate visits to individual service users within their homes;

VI.           Offering coordinated holistic services delivered by multi-skilled workforces;

VII.         To support carers and prevent carer breakdown;

VIII.        To support end of life with the individuals, in their chosen environment;

IX.          To provide a service in a manner that meets the principles of best value, including and not limited to the value of money;

X.           The equipment being issued following assessment by the needs of a clinician would be loaned to the service user for the duration of their clinical need;

XI.          Providing adults and children a vital gateway to growth, development, independence, dignity and well-being within the community;

XII.         It was proposed that the Plymouth Community Equipment Service contract would be passed to Millbrook Healthcare under section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023 and schedule 5 direct award justification for urgency;

XIII.       The proposed contract would run for 3.25 years, allowing time to restore the service standards and prepare the full procurement process by February 2029;

XIV.       The estimated annual spend was around £2.8 million pounds with a total contract value of £9.1million;

XV.        The next steps were to publish the required transparency notices under the Procurement Act 2023.

m)  Residents were urged to return any unused or old equipment so it could be re-used and re-purposed.

The Cabinet agreed to:

1.    Direct award a new contract for the provision of community equipment services to Millbrook Healthcare from 01 October 2025 until 31 January 2029.