A Havering Council cabinet meeting on Wednesday (March 12) reviewed a new framework for finding adult social care for residents in the borough, including care homes, home care and supported living placements.
This system will replace the council’s current dynamic purchasing system (DPS), which acts as an online marketplace of pre-vetted social care suppliers the council can pick from.
According to a council report, the four-year framework is expected to cost around £90 million annually – or £360 million overall – based on the 2023/24 spend on social care placements.
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The funds will come from existing adult social care budgets, and the money will only be spent when individual care packages are purchased.
Cabinet agreed the recommendations to adopt the new system, which is described in the report as an “indispensable step towards enhancing the quality of care and support for adults in need”.
The report sets out several “significant improvements” the framework would bring about, such as “stringent safety protocols” to protect residents and better coordination between care providers for a “seamless” experience.
Cllr Michael White, Conservative group leader, questioned what support would be available for Havering organisations who wish to be part of the framework – as he “would like to see a framework that encourages local companies […] to access the contracts”.
In response, Havering’s strategic director of people Barbara Nicholls said: “We have a number of local providers already on the existing framework.
“I don’t anticipate there will be any blockages to them getting onto the new framework.
“What we have found is that we have too many providers, including from outside of Havering, on our current DPS, so we are going to use this as an opportunity to ensure that we have a smaller pool of providers with a focus on local [ones].”
Havering Council’s cabinet meeting on Wednesday also approved an “all-age suicide prevention strategy” for 2025 to 2030 and the Romford Masterplan.
