Issue - meetings

Background:

The report sought permission to commence the procurement of the Intermediate Care and Reablement Contract. This procurement would be undertaken via a joint commissioning agreement with the Integrated Care Board and covered under the Better Care Fund Section 75.

The report explained that Intermediate Care and Reablement Services were short-term, targeted interventions designed to support individuals – primarily older adults – who were transitioning from hospital to home or are at risk of hospital admission or readmission. The services aimed to restore independence, reduce reliance on long term care, and improve overall health outcomes.

An Exempt Appendix to the report provided a breakdown of the financial analysis in respect of this procurement project.

Reasons:

The current ICRS contract commenced on 1 October 2023. The ICRS contract is split into two lots - Lot 1 Homefirst and Lot 2 Bedded reablement. The new procurement will be for one service that covers both Homefirst and Bedded provision and not as two separate lots.

Both lots were for an initial duration of 3 years. Lot 1 had an option for two, one-year extensions. Lot 1 with extensions, is due to end on 30 September 2028 and Lot 2 is due to end on 30 September 2026.

Initiating Lot 1’s extension options has been considered but is not recommended. It was documented in the Gateway 4 paper submitted in July 2025 that there has been an ongoing issue with receiving data from the current provider. A legal letter was sent on 28 July 2025 to secure some data however the data is still incomplete with the issues still unresolved at the time of authoring this paper.

Despite meeting key performance indicators (KPIs) the current service has required significant performance management. A new specification is needed to ensure the future delivery aligns with Medway Council’s strategic priorities, data governance standards, and evolving system-side integration with system partners and key strategic partners.