Report by Director of  Public Health and Communities

RECOMMENDATION

The Cabinet Member is RECOMMENDED to:

a. Approve the proposal to commission a Substance Use Service for Children and Young People through a procurement exercise and transition to a new 7-year contract on a 3-year initial term with the option to extend for up to 4 years in aggregate. The budget for this service will be up to £700,000 per year as set out in section 5 below, funded by ringfenced drug and alcohol funding within the Public Health Grant.

b.    Delegate to the Director for Public Health authority to manage the service design for the procurement and following completion of the procurement exercise award the contract to the successful bidder.

The Cabinet Member considered a report which indicated that under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, the County Council had a duty to improve the health of the local population by ensuring that there were services aimed at reducing substance use. Furthermore, the delivery of Children and Young Person’s Substance Use Services contributed to the fulfilment of that duty.

The proposal was for continuing the Oxfordshire Children and Young People’s Substance Use (CYPSU) Service beyond 31 March 2027 and recommended proceeding with commissioning a new service model through a competitive process under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023.

In response to the Cabinet Member and the Shadow Cabinet Member the following was indicated:

·       Public Health grant funding had been confirmed to 2026/27, with indicative funding for the following two years.

·       Future unitary authorities would retain statutory Public Health responsibilities, and the procurement would be designed to provide flexibility for future arrangements.

·       While the outcome of Local Government Reorganisation was expected shortly, detailed implementation arrangements would follow.

·       The Council therefore needed to continue planning to meet population needs.

·       The future distribution mechanism for Public Health funding had not yet been determined.

·       Co-production would inform the service specification, including learning from current service users, a lived experience advisory group and engagement through relevant youth, health and social care routes.

·       The headline benchmark measured structured treatment only and did not reflect preventative or lower-intensity activity.

·       Improvement activity would focus on referral pathways, workforce 

sustainability, recruitment, market engagement and system 

awareness.

·       External procurement was preferred due to the specialist nature of the service, provider expertise, economies of scale and flexibility during Local Government Reorganisation.

The Cabinet Member noted the matters raised and considered the proposed commissioning approach appropriate, having regard to the statutory requirement to provide the service and the context of Local Government Reorganisation.

Resolved to:

a.    Approve the proposal to commission a Substance Use Service for

Children and Young People through a procurement exercise and transition to a new 7-year contract on a 3-year initial term with the option to extend for up to 4 years in aggregate. The budget for this service will be up to £700,000 per year as set out in section 5 below, funded by ringfenced drug and alcohol funding within the Public Health Grant.

b.    Delegate to the Director for Public Health authority to manage the

     service design for the procurement and following completion of the

     procurement exercise award the contract to the successful bidder.