FOI request details

Request

Subject: Domiciliary care contracts

Reference: LBR-FOI-00727

Specifically, I would like to request the following information for the period of 2018-2023:

1. Any information, evidence, and criteria for awarding domiciliary care contracts, including any tenders and evaluations, including any relevant documentation and correspondence.

2. Any information, and evidence of the rate paid per care package to all approved care agencies for all categories of care service, including any contracts and invoices, including any relevant documentation, and correspondence.

3. Any information, evidence, and criteria for how the rate paid is calculated, including any guidelines, policies, or procedures, including any relevant documentation and correspondence.

4. Any information if a different rate is paid to different care agencies for the same service, including any relevant documentation and correspondence.

5. Any information, evidence, and criteria for declining a tender by a domiciliary care agency, including any written correspondence, decisions, or evaluations.

6. Any information and evidence to show the process of end-to-end tender approval, including any relevant documentation and correspondence.

7. Any information regarding any grants available for domiciliary care agencies and the criteria for eligibility for such grants, including any relevant documentation and correspondence.

8. Any information and evidence to show the process of end-to-end tender rejection, including any relevant documentation and correspondence.

9. Any information and evidence of the end-to-end selection approval process, including any relevant documentation and correspondence.

10. The number of domiciliary care contracts awarded in each year between 2018 and 2023.

11. The names of the approved care agencies that were awarded contracts during the specified period, including any sub-contractors.

12. The length of the contracts awarded, including start and end dates.

13. Any performance metrics used to evaluate the care agencies and their performance under the contracts.

14. Any complaints received about the care agencies and the outcome of any investigations or corrective actions taken.

15. The criteria used for renewing or extending existing contracts and awarding new contracts.

16. Any information regarding the number and type of unfulfilled requests for domiciliary care and the reasons for the unfulfillment?

17. Any information on the use of private and voluntary sector providers of domiciliary care and the criteria used for their selection.

18. Any information on the use of in-house providers of domiciliary care and the criteria used for their selection.

19. Any information on the use of technology or digital tools to support the provision of domiciliary care.

20. Any information regarding any grants available for domiciliary care agencies, including the amount of grant given, the type of grant, if the grant is still available, and the list of the care agencies or companies who have received the grants, including any relevant documentation and correspondence.

Response

Part Disclosed - 2 March 2023

1. Any information, evidence, and criteria for awarding domiciliary care contracts, including any tenders and evaluations, including any relevant documentation and correspondence. This is commercially sensitive

2. Any information, and evidence of the rate paid per care package to all approved care agencies for all categories of care service, including any contracts and invoices, including any relevant documentation, and correspondence. This is commercially sensitive

3. Any information, evidence, and criteria for how the rate paid is calculated, including any guidelines, policies, or procedures, including any relevant documentation and correspondence. This is commercially sensitive

4. Any information if a different rate is paid to different care agencies for the same service, including any relevant documentation and correspondence. This is commercially sensitive

5. Any information, evidence, and criteria for declining a tender by a domiciliary care agency, including any written correspondence, decisions, or evaluations. This is commercially sensitive

6. Any information and evidence to show the process of end-to-end tender approval, including any relevant documentation and correspondence. This is commercially sensitive

7. Any information regarding any grants available for domiciliary care agencies and the criteria for eligibility for such grants, including any relevant documentation and correspondence. The local authority previously received one off funding from central government during the COVID-19 pandemic to support the care sector for infection control, omicron, and the workforce. Information on these grants was published by the government on GOV.UK and so is available in the public domain. This funding has ceased and is no longer available.

The Government also set up a market sustainability and fair cost of care fund, distributing grant funding to local authorities in England in 2022/23. The local authority administered this in accordance with government guidance. Market sustainability and fair cost of care fund 2022 to 2023: guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

8. Any information and evidence to show the process of end-to-end tender rejection, including any relevant documentation and correspondence. This is commercially sensitive

9. Any information and evidence of the end-to-end selection approval process, including any relevant documentation and correspondence. This is commercially sensitive

10. The number of domiciliary care contracts awarded in each year between 2018 and 2023.

• 2018 - none

• 2019 - 5 contracts

• 2020 - none

• 2021 - none

• 2022 - none

• 2023 - 17

  11. The names of the approved care agencies that were awarded contracts during the specified period, including any sub-contractors. This information is available on the Council's contracts register https://richmond.gov.uk/council/how_we_work/how_we_do_business/procurement

  12. The length of the contracts awarded, including start and end dates. This information is available on the Council's contracts register https://richmond.gov.uk/council/how_we_work/how_we_do_business/procurement

  13. Any performance metrics used to evaluate the care agencies and their performance under the contracts.

  Below are the KPIs for the Richmond Platform which launched January 2023:

  1. A providers Branch(s) must complete a minimum of 1 PAMMS Assessment each year from the anniversary of joining the Platform if they join with service users. If they do not join with services users they must complete at least 1 PAMMS assessment each year from the anniversary of them accepting their first service user.

  2. A providers Branch(s) must achieve a minimum of 90% compliance for their ECM registering their care worker using the system to log in and log out.

  3. A providers Branch(s) must achieve a minimum of 90% compliance for ECM events. IE providers Branch(s) must ensure that 90% of visits have taken place within the time tolerance and duration.

  4. A providers Branch(s) must achieve the following standard for continuity of care for service users:

  a. Standard care visits to have no more than 12 different care workers in any one quarter starting from them joining with service users or from them accepting their first service user.

  b. Standard care visits to have no more than 6 different care workers in any one month starting from them joining with service users or from them accepting their first service user.

  c. Intensive care visits to have no more than 21 different care workers in any one quarter starting from them joining with service users or from them accepting their first service user.

  d. Intensive care visits to have no more than 12 different care workers in any one month starting from them joining with service users or from them accepting their first service user. Standard Care is defined as a single handed care and intensive care is defined as double handed care.

  5. A minimum of 70% of service users must respond to providers Branch(s) client satisfaction surveys per annum.

  6. Provider Branch(s) must use the following client satisfaction classifications to accurately measure KPI 7 and KPI 8:

  a. Extremely satisfied

  b. Very satisfied

  c. Satisfied

  d. Dissatisfied

  e. Very dissatisfied

  f. Extremely dissatisfied

  7. 80% of service users who respond to the providers Branch(s) client satisfaction surveys must have an equal or greater satisfaction level then very satisfied.

  8. A providers branch(s) must have no more than 8% of service users who respond to clients satisfaction surveys as being very dissatisfied or extremely dissatisfied.

  9. Provider branch(s) must keep the postcode information up to date on the Brokerage System to accurately measure KPI 10.

  10. Providers branch(s) must meet the following acceptance and no response levels on the Brokerage System:

  10.1. An acceptance rate of equal or greater than 95% for all packages refer to them on the Brokerage System

  10.2. A no response to all packages referred to the branch(s) on the brokerage system being no greater than 5% 11. If a providers branch(s) has a system failure preventing them from responding to packages on the brokerage system then that provider must submit a Self-Reporting Form to notify the Council of the incident within 48 hours of the event.

  12. Providers branch(s) must submit a Self-Reporting Form to the Local Authority at the first sign of concerns or issues with an individual packages of care that they believe may lead to them being unable to continue to deliver care at some point in the future.

  13. If a providers Branch(s) wishes to formally apply to withdraw care for an individual package of care they must submit a Self-Reporting Form to the Local Authority with a detailed explanation of all actions taken with the council to try and resolve the need to withdraw. The detailed explanation must include evidence that KPI 12 has been met and be in accordance with the terms of the Platform Agreement.

  14. Any complaints received about the care agencies and the outcome of any investigations or corrective actions taken.

  The department holds information that you have asked for, but in this case we will not be providing it to you as it is exempt from disclosure. We are not obliged, under section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, to provide information that is the personal information of another person if releasing would contravene any of the provisions in the General Data Protection Regulation or the Data Protection Act 2018. In this instance we believe that the release of this information would contravene the first data protection principle and therefore section 40 (2) is engaged. The terms of this exemption in the Freedom of Information Act mean that we do not have to consider whether or not it would be in the public interest for you to have the information.

  15. The criteria used for renewing or extending existing contracts and awarding new contracts. Enacting allowable contract extensions is dependent on a number of factors such as size of the contract and performance based on KPIs. There is no 'criteria' for extending existing contracts. Award of new contracts is based on the requirements set out in individual procurement processes.

  16. Any information regarding the number and type of unfulfilled requests for domiciliary care and the reasons for the unfulfillment? The local authority sources and arranges services to meet their assessed eligible needs. Therefore this data cannot be provided.

  17. Any information on the use of private and voluntary sector providers of domiciliary care and the criteria used for their selection. This information is available on the Council's contracts register https://richmond.gov.uk/council/how_we_work/how_we_do_business/procurement

  As with the response to Q15, award of a contract to any business is based on the requirements set out in individual procurement processes.

  18. Any information on the use of in-house providers of domiciliary care and the criteria used for their selection. The local authority does not have in house provision

  19. Any information on the use of technology or digital tools to support the provision of domiciliary care The local authority's digital strategy sets out how we embed technology as a core part of the way we deliver services https://richmond.gov.uk/services/adult_social_care/how_adult_social_care_works/digital_social_care

  20. Any information regarding any grants available for domiciliary care agencies, including the amount of grant given, the type of grant, if the grant is still available, and the list of the care agencies or companies who have received the grants, including any relevant documentation and correspondence. See response to question 7. Correspondence to care agencies is commercially sensitive.

Please note that our responses were accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of release, and have not subsequently been updated. This information should be considered an historical record only.