A contract is set to be awarded to co-ordinate 200 separate community health and care services for children, young people and adults to provide a more joined up service that supports people to stay healthier for longer.
Following a year long review of health and care services in Bath and North East Somerset, involving extensive consultation with thousands of people, the ground breaking ‘your care, your way’ programme will result in a minimum seven year contract to deliver and co-ordinate services covering a current annual expenditure of £69.2 million.
The two organisations bidding for the contract are Virgin Care and a partnership of care and health providers led by Sirona care & health.
The review was carried out jointly by NHS Bath and North East Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Bath & North East Somerset Council because the demand for local health and care services is growing rapidly as people are living longer with multiple long term conditions.
It found that the community’s main priorities are to have joined up health and care record systems, with a single care plan for each person. The successful bidder will use these care plans to identify how a person’s physical, mental and social needs can be met and ensure they only have to tell their story once.
Councillor Vic Pritchard (Conservative, Chew Valley South), Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care & Health, said: “Our extensive engagement with local people has identified their key priorities for community services and this bidding process will ensure that those priorities will be delivered.
“The successful bidder will be responsible for leading and joining up care and health services in the community to provide people with a more personalised care plan.
“This innovative approach will help to deliver our commitment to keeping people healthier, happier and more independent for longer.”
Dr Ian Orpen, a local GP and Clinical Chair of the CCG, said: “A key priority that has been identified by the community and health and care professionals is to increase the focus on prevention and to support people to manage their health and wellbeing in the community, reducing the amount of time people need to spend in hospital.
“We have recruited a team of community champions to help decide which bidder should receive the contract, who all have personal experience of community health and care services and are bringing a wealth of knowledge and insight to the process.”
The quality of care proposed within the bids will be assessed in detail, and the CCG and the Council will also rigorously evaluate the financial, economic and legal standing of both bidders in line with Government guidance.
It is anticipated that the contract will commence with the successful bidder in April 2017 and will last for seven years with an option to extend for a further three years.
