Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

See guidance below.

There were none received.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 14 July 2026  to be signed by the Chair as a correct record.

The minutes of the meeting held on 14 July 2026  were confirmed by the Chair as a correct record.

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There were none received.

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Cabinet Member: Adults

Forward Plan Ref: 26/177

Key Decision

Contact:  Jordan Marsh, Commissioning Officer, Live Well Jordan.Marsh@Oxfordshire.gov.uk  

Report by Director of Director of Adult Social Care

The Safe Space Host Provider contract is a key part of Oxfordshire's local offer for adults with a learning disability and autistic adults who are on, or require consideration through, the Dynamic Support Register and need additional, flexible support to stay well and safe in the community.

The Cabinet Member for Adults is RECOMMENDED to:

a.    Agree to tender a new Safe Space Host Provider contract through a mini-competition using the Council’s Live Well Supported Services Framework Lot 2.

b.    Delegate authority to the Director of Adult Social Care to award and enter into the contract following completion of the procurement process.

c.    Delegate authority to the Director of Adult Social Care, in consultation with the Director of Finance and the Director of Law and Governance, to negotiate and agree the required variation to the existing Section 75 Agreement between Oxfordshire County Council and Thames Valley Integrated Care Board to formalise the agreed partner funding and associated governance arrangements for the Safe Space service.

d.    Note that local government reorganisation is a managed dependency and will be addressed through legal, finance, procurement, governance, contract and transition planning before contract award and mobilisation.

The Cabinet Member considered the Safe Space Host Provider contract which provided outreach and short stay support for adults with a learning disability and autistic adults, including preventative and crisis support.

The provision was intended to offer an alternative to admission or detention under the Mental Health Act for individuals at risk. The model had been developed in partnership with the Integrated Care Board and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, with funding split equally between partners. The contract was proposed for seven years, with a break clause at year four and a total contract value of £5,163,733.26. The proposal was aligned to a capital build programme

It was  explained that the Safe Space model would use preventative planning, outreach support and regular system oversight to keep stays short, least restrictive and focused on supporting people back into appropriate settings.

Resolved to:

a.    Agree to tender a new Safe Space Host Provider contract through a mini-competition using the Council’s Live Well Supported Services Framework Lot 2.

b.    Delegate authority to the Director of Adult Social Care to award and

     enter into the contract following completion of the procurement   

     process.

c.    Delegate authority to the Director of Adult Social Care, in consultation with the Director of Finance and the Director of Law and Governance, to negotiate and agree the required variation to the existing Section 75 Agreement between Oxfordshire County Council and Thames Valley Integrated Care Board to formalise the agreed partner funding and associated governance arrangements for the Safe Space service.

d.    Note that local government reorganisation is a managed dependency and will be addressed through legal, finance, procurement, governance, contract and transition planning before contract award and mobilisation.

Cabinet Member: Adults

Forward Plan Ref: 26/067

Key Decision

Contact: Sakina Bi – Strategic Commissioner

Report by Director Adult Social Care

To approve the extension of the Care Home (Light Touch) Framework to 30 June 2029 and the extension of the Short Stay Hub Bed call-off contracts to 30 June 2029

The Cabinet Member for Adults is RECOMMENDED to:

a.    Approve the extension of the Care Home (Light Touch) Framework to 30th June 2029.

b.    Approve the extension of the call-off contracts for Short Stay Hub beds (SSHB) to 30th June 2029.

The Cabinet Member considered the report on the extension of the Care Home (Light Touch) Framework to 30 June 2029 and the extension of the Short Stay Hub Bed call-off contracts to 30 June 2029.

The Care Home Framework provided a single, integrated route for sourcing residential and nursing care home placements funded by Adult Social Care and NHS Continuing Healthcare. Extending the framework was recommended because it was working effectively, provided continuity and value for money, reduced reliance on spot purchasing and avoided the need for a major procurement exercise during Local Government Reorganisation.

It was indicated that  the framework had been co-designed with health partners, providers and operational teams, had incorporated resident feedback, improved care standards and reduced negotiation time through fixed-fee arrangements.

Resolved to:

a.    Approve the extension of the Care Home (Light Touch) Framework to 30th June 2029.

b.    Approve the extension of the call-off contracts for Short Stay Hub beds (SSHB) to 30th June 2029.

Cabinet Member: Adults

Forward Plan Ref: 26/199

Key Decision

Contact: Izzie Rockingham, Commissioning Manager

Report by the Director of Adult Social Care

To seek approval to extend the current Live Well at Home framework to 31 March 2028.

The Cabinet Member is RECOMMENDED to:

a.    Note the recommendations and background from the previous Cabinet paper of 16 June 2026, as set out in Annex 1.

b.    Note that, since that decision, the Council has received the Government’s Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) decision for Oxfordshire. This has implications for the proposed Staying Well at Home (SWAH) model, including future service design, demand, provider capacity, lot structure and geographical zones. As the LGR decision was published in the very early stages of the SWAH procurement, the procurement has been paused so that the Council can review the available options and determine the most appropriate future commissioning route.

c.    Approve the extension of the current Live Well at Home (LWAH) framework to 31 March 2028, in accordance with the existing contractual extension provisions, to maintain continuity of care and ensure continued lawful sourcing of domiciliary care and reablement services beyond 31 March 2027.

d.    Approve the decision to start the SWAH procurement process as per key decision made on 16 June 2026 but with a later timetable. The timetable and award of framework agreement to be delegated to the Director of Adult Social care for approval.

The Cabinet Member considered the report which sought  to extend the current Live Well at Home framework to 31 March 2028 and to determine the next steps for the future commissioning route for home care and reablement services. The extension was a precautionary and proportionate step to protect continuity of care while the Council reviews the implications of Local Government Reorganisation for future service arrangements.

It was  confirmed that the proposed one-year extension was considered sufficient because zoning modelling had already begun and the procurement process was expected to restart at the end of the year or early the following year. Cllr Fletcher stated that, although she was not generally keen on extending arrangements, she recognised the need in this case due to the impact of local government reorganisation and the need to maintain continuity of care and lawful sourcing of services.

Resolved to:

a)    Note the recommendations and background from the previous Cabinet paper of 16 June 2026, as set out in Annex 1.

b)    Note that, since that decision, the Council has received the Government’s Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) decision for Oxfordshire. This has implications for the proposed Staying Well at Home (SWAH) model, including future service design, demand, provider capacity, lot structure and geographical zones. As the LGR decision was published in the very early stages of the SWAH procurement, the procurement has been paused so that the Council can review the available options and determine the most appropriate future commissioning route.

c)    Approve the extension of the current Live Well at Home (LWAH) framework to 31 March 2028, in accordance with the existing contractual extension provisions, to maintain continuity of care and ensure continued lawful sourcing of domiciliary care and reablement services beyond 31 March 2027.

d)    Approve the decision to start the SWAH procurement process as per key decision made on 16 June 2026 but with a later timetable. The timetable and award of framework agreement to be delegated to the Director of Adult Social care for approval.