South Gloucestershire Council

Published: 14/09/2012

Committee members voted in favour of a new model for the council’s in-house Home Care service which will see all care commissioned from the independent sector. As part of the model, the council will also continue to provide a vital ‘safety net’ for service users via an in-house Emergency Home Care Service.

The new model will ensure that high-quality home care continues to be provided for everyone who needs it, while also maximising value for money at a time of rising service demand and public spending constraint.

Home care services are an important part of the council’s social care provision, helping people to live independently in their own homes for as long as possible by providing support with personal care, shopping, cleaning and other household tasks.

At present, approximately 90 per cent of all home care in South Gloucestershire is delivered by independent sector providers and service user satisfaction ratings are consistently high.

The council’s review of its in-house home care services was launched in 2011 to test the current in-house service model against alternative options and to select an option that would deliver on quality and provide the best value for money.

Carried out with the participation of staff and trades unions, the review considered a number of options including maintaining an unchanged in-house service, remodelling the in-house service, or make greater use of external home care providers.

Officers will now consider how today’s decision will be implemented, with further details to be published in due course. This will include careful transition planning with existing service users to ensure that all their needs continue to be met.