The Overview & Scrutiny Committee met to discuss a call-in of the Mayor in Cabinet's decision to award a contract for domiciliary care services. The committee ultimately decided to take no further action on the call-in, thereby confirming the original cabinet decision.

Domiciliary Care Service Contract Award

The committee considered a call-in of the Mayor in Cabinet's decision on 11 September 2024 to award a contract for domiciliary care services, valued at approximately £190 million. Councillor Asma Islam, a co-opted member, presented the reasons for the call-in, expressing concerns about the perceived haste and lack of transparency surrounding the decision. She highlighted that the report was presented to Cabinet with less than two hours' notice, leaving insufficient time for proper scrutiny by officers and members. Councillor Islam also raised concerns that the Council's commitment to the Unison's Ethical Care Charter, which advocates for fair treatment of care workers and the elimination of zero-hour contracts, was not fully met by the new contract, which only committed to minimising such contracts. Furthermore, she questioned the accreditation status of some providers, noting that a substantial number were not currently registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Councillor Gulam Kibria Choudhury, Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Social Care, supported by Georgia Chimbani, Corporate Director of Health and Adult Social Care, and Julie Lorraine, Corporate Director of Resources, defended the decision. They explained that the contract award was critical for ensuring the continuity and quality of care for vulnerable residents. They stated that executive members had no direct role in the selection and award process, which was an independent process led by officers. Councillor Lorraine added that the decision could have been a Mayoral decision but was brought to Cabinet for greater transparency. While acknowledging that the report could not be presented to the Overview & Scrutiny Committee (OSC) in advance, they cited exceptional circumstances for the urgency, which were to be discussed in a private session.

During the discussion, members raised questions about the procurement process, the reasons for the urgency, and the Council's adherence to the Ethical Care Charter and CQC standards. It was clarified that the procurement process began in July 2023 and that the new approach, including increasing the number of providers, had been scrutinised by the Health and Adults Scrutiny Sub Committee at that time. The Lead Member confirmed he received regular updates and had full trust in the officers' recommendations. Officers assured the committee that adequate controls were in place to monitor service quality and that the Council remained a signatory to the Ethical Care Charter, with providers required to comply.

A point of concern was raised by the Chair, Councillor Jahed Choudhury, who stated he was given insufficient information regarding the Cabinet report before agreeing to its urgency, and was not informed of the £190 million contract value.

Following discussions in both public and private sessions, the committee resolved to take no further action on the call-in. This means the original cabinet decision to award the domiciliary care service contract was confirmed.