This meeting was about the adoption of a new procurement strategy for mental health and social care in Surrey. It also included a report on spending from a mental health investment fund and a proposal for how to spend what was left in the fund. The meeting also received an update on the award of contracts for supported housing for adults with learning disabilities and those with mental health difficulties.

The meeting was attended by Councillors from Surrey County Council and executives from Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board and Frimley Integrated Care Board.

Surrey County Council’s Annual Procurement Forward Plan 2024/25

Surrey County Council proposed a new Annual Procurement Forward Plan for 2024/25. This plan included details of services to be commissioned during 2024/25 that would be jointly funded by the Council and either or both of the Integrated Care Boards.

The plan included details of twelve services to be commissioned, with a description of each. An example is the Collaborative Reablement Service which:

This service delivers reablement care and support in the homes of people living in their own home.

The report included an update on the financial situation of the council in the context of the new plan. The report noted that:

In the current financial climate with inflationary pressures continuing, all projects will be subject to a full procurement report which details the commercial considerations. The intention is that SCC will work closely with the supply market to form stronger relationships, mitigate risk and secure the appropriate procurement models to drive sustainability and affordability.

Mental Health Investment Fund

The meeting received a report on the Mental Health Investment Fund (MHIF). The MHIF was a £10.5m fund established in 2022 by Surrey County Council and Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board to fund the delivery of the outcomes in Priority Two of the Surrey Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

The report provided details of how £8.6m of the fund had been allocated to date, and a proposal for how to allocate the remaining £1.9m.

The report noted that:

There is an appetite to focus on one or two problems or areas of need, including looking at opportunities to accelerate impact and not distribute/dilute the remaining funds too widely.

The report proposed that the remainder of the fund should be spent on larger initiatives that benefit as broad a population distribution as possible. It proposed a process where Executive sponsors with Heads of commissioning will facilitate a round table session which includes community representatives, place leaders, VCSE leaders and NHS providers to agree investment target areas .

The report explained the rationale for this approach, saying that there was:

Consensus that the landscape has changed rapidly since 2022 and a strong desire to want to focus on here and now problems.

The report also noted that the fund would need to be fully allocated by February 2027.

Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) For Care And Support With Community Accommodation (Working Age Adults) – Notification Of Contract Award

The final substantive item on the agenda was a report on the outcome of the procurement of a new Dynamic Purchasing System for Care and Support with Community Accommodation.

The report explained that:

A Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) is a contractual arrangement compliant with the Public Contract Regulations 2015. It is a fully electronic system used to award compliant contracts; it is not a commitment to spend money.

The report provided an update on the outcome of the first round of procurement for the DPS. The report noted that 349 compliant applications were received across 8 lots. The report provided further details on the number of applications received for each lot. An example is lot 8 which was for the provision of Level two Mental Health: Support to Recover and for which there were 27 applications.

The report explained that the DPS would be used for the provision of supported housing for people with learning disabilities, autism, and mental health difficulties, saying that:

Surrey as a county needs more independent living accommodation if people are to remain within and be a part of their local community, retaining connections with their family and friends.

The report said that the new DPS would:

ensure a consistent procurement approach to supported independent living and ensure we deliver our Accommodation with Care and Support Strategy and our Community Vision for Surrey in 2030.