Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Adult Social Care

Forward Plan Ref: 2014/202

Contact: Andrew Colling, Quality & Contracts Service Manager Tel: (01865) 323682

Report by Director of Adult Social Services (CA7).

The services that care homes provide within Oxfordshire play an important role in helping to meet the needs of vulnerable adults.  The Council has to ensure that there is sufficient capacity within the social care market to meet its current and future commissioning requirements.

The Council has stated that it is keen to ensure the sustainability of care home services in Oxfordshire to meet the assessed needs of vulnerable adults, and is committed to work alongside providers to ensure that services are of the highest quality.

The purpose of this report is to    describe the process the Council has undertaken to review the amount it pays for care homes and in particular  to agree the Target Banding Rates to be applied for 2015-16.

Cabinet is RECOMMENDED that in view of the above:

for 2015/16 to revise our Target Banding Rates from April 2015 and

(a)            Increase the Target Banding rate for the Residential-Extensive Specialist Category to £473 per week for new placements.

(b)            Increase all existing weekly Residential payment rates that are currently paid below £473 per week to £473 per week

(c)            Increase  the Nursing-Extensive Target Banding Rate to £583 per week

(d)            Increase all existing weekly Nursing Extensive that are currently below £583 per week to £583 per week

(e)            Increase  the Nursing-Specialist Target Banding Rate to £655 per week

(f)             Increase all existing weekly Nursing Extensive and Substantial rates that are currently below £655 per week to £655 per week

(g)            Increase the above rates to reflect the increase in Funded Nursing Care once this is announced later in April 2015.

(h)            Increase all other existing Care Home placements to reflect the increase in Funded Nursing care once this is announced later in April 2015

(i)              Continue to use these rates as a guide to secure a care home placement  at a funding level as close to the Target Banding Rate as possible.

(j)              The above to apply from April 2015 and for care home placements in Oxfordshire.

Recommendations agreed.

The services that care homes provide within Oxfordshire play an important role in helping to meet the needs of vulnerable adults. The Council has to ensure that there is sufficient capacity within the social care market to meet its current and future commissioning requirements.

The Council has stated that it is keen to ensure the sustainability of care home services in Oxfordshire to meet the assessed needs of vulnerable adults, and is committed to work alongside providers to ensure that services are of the highest quality.

Cabinet had before them a report that described the process the Council has undertaken to review the amount it pays for care homes and in particular to agree the Target Banding Rates to be applied for 2015-16.

Councillor Price, Shadow Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care noted that there was a slight increase in the number of care homes engaged but that she felt that it was still far away from the level of transparency needed. Councillor Heathcoat replied that every care provider had had the opportunity to respond and there had been a providers’ day plus other meetings that meant that the transparency was there.

Responding to a question from Councillor Hibbert Biles, Councillor Price stated that she was not saying that the Council was not trying to get responses but that there needed to be new ways of doing it to challenge the complacency of the market. She added that measures such as signing up to the Ethical Care Charter could have a cumulative effect.

In introducing the contents of the report Councillor Heathcoat thanked Oxfordshire Carehomes Association and Mr Taylor, proprietor for Banbury Heights and Julie Richardson Nursing Homes for their recent representations that had been seen by Cabinet Members.

RESOLVED:           that in view of the above:

for 2015/16 to revise our Target Banding Rates from April 2015 and

(a)            Increase the Target Banding rate for the Residential-Extensive Specialist Category to £473 per week for new placements.

(b)            Increase all existing weekly Residential payment rates that are currently paid below £473 per week to £473 per week

(c)            Increase the Nursing-Extensive Target Banding Rate to £583 per week

(d)            Increase all existing weekly Nursing Extensive that are currently below £583 per week to £583 per week

(e)            Increase the Nursing-Specialist Target Banding Rate to £655 per week

(f)              Increase all existing weekly Nursing Extensive and Substantial rates that are currently below £655 per week to £655 per week

(g)            Increase the above rates to reflect the increase in Funded Nursing Care once this is announced later in April 2015.

(h)            Increase all other existing Care Home placements to reflect the increase in Funded Nursing care once this is announced later in April 2015

(i)              Continue to use these rates as a guide to secure a care home placement at a funding level as close to the Target Banding Rate as possible.

(j)              The above to apply from April 2015 and for care home placements in Oxfordshire.