Commissioning and Brokerage Procedures

1. Using this Procedure

This procedure should be used by all adult social care practitioners, with the exception of:

  1. Practitioners arranging assistive technology or Telecare;
  2. Practitioners arranging minor works or low level adaptations;
  3. Occupational Therapy practitioners arranging equipment or a major adaptation.

Although this procedure may be helpful to those people with responsibility for commissioning or brokering services, it does not provide specific guidance about arranging, monitoring or reviewing contracts, or any other associated actions that may be required. Anyone carrying out such actions should refer to available local processes.

2. Domiciliary Care

Arranging Domiciliary Care

All domiciliary care services for Bracknell Forest Council should be sourced through the Access to Resource Team (AtR) without exception.

If a person has specific or complex needs you must provide relevant information to AtR to assist them in identifying an appropriate provider.

  1. Practitioner to complete a needs assessment, Care and Support plan which clearly sets out how the care should be delivered;
  2. Practitioner to present the case to Quality Assurance Panel to obtain agreement to search for an appropriate provider;
  3. Once agreement has been confirmed, a Service Request Form (SRF) is completed on LAS and the Care and Support plan will be sent to AtR via work tray on LAS;
  4. AtR will then source a provider to deliver the care stated on the SRF;
  5. AtR will enter the details on the Care to Place (C2P); No personal information can be put on this requirement apart from the person's postcode, this is then emailed to care providers;
  6. Care providers will ask for the SRF and will confirm if they can assess and will offer times and potential start date, this information is emailed to the Practitioner to liaise with family on best match of agency;
  7. AtR will then confirm with care agency to complete an assessment and confirm start date;
  8. AtR will then add the service onto LAS and issue an IPO to the care provider.

Varying Domiciliary Care

Note: Where suspending or reducing the service will place the person or carer at risk you should not make any changes until agreement from care Teams.

Suspending a service

  1. Person/family notifies practitioner of any reason the service requires to be suspended e.g. hospital admission, going away on holiday etc.
  2. Practitioner to notify AtR via LAS case notification with information as to when the services need to be suspended from and, if known the date that services need to recommence;
  3. AtR will liaise with the provider to suspend (and recommence) the service.

Reducing a service

  1. Practitioner to update the last Client Review and Support plan on LAS;
  2. Practitioner to notify AtR via LAS case notification and reassign the support plan on LAS to AtR;
  3. AtR will liaise with the provider to reduce the service;
  4. AtR will update the service on LAS and send a revised IPO to the care provider;
  5. Practitioner to inform the person (or their representative) of the reduction arrangements; and allocate the support plan to the duty tray for annual review.

Increasing a service

  1. Practitioner to complete a needs assessment, Care and Support plan which clearly sets out how the care should be delivered;
  2. Practitioner to present the case to Quality Assurance Panel to obtain agreement for the increase in care;
  3. Once agreement has been confirmed, a Service Request Form (SRF) is completed on LAS and the Care and Support plan will be sent to AtR via work tray on LAS;
  4. AtR will liaise with the provider to increase the service;
  5. If current care provider is unable to facilitate the increase, then follow arranging domiciliary care process;
  6. AtR will update the services on LAS;
  7. Practitioner to inform the person (or their representative) of the increased arrangements and arrange an appropriate review.

Temporary Increases

  1. Practitioner to complete a conversation 2 on LAS;
  2. Practitioner to obtain management agreement for the increase and inform AtR via a case notification on LAS;
  3. Once agreement has been confirmed, a Service Request Form (SRF) is completed on LAS;
  4. AtR will liaise with the provider to increase the service;
  5. If current care provider is unable to facilitate the increase, then follow arranging domiciliary care process;
  6. AtR will add a non planned service on LAS for this temporary increase;
  7. Practitioner to inform the person (or their representative) of the increased arrangements and arrange an appropriate review.

Change of Provider

  1. Start by challenging the change of provider: Ask practitioner and/or provider if there is anything that could be changed in the existing arrangement that would allow it to continue – change of times, carer or tasks;
  2. Request written explanations of the issues from the practitioner and/or provider;
  3. AtR to inform strategic commissioning any issues for contract monitoring purposes;
  4. The Care and Support plan and SRF will be updated on LAS for AtR to source a new provider;
  5. AtR will then source a provider to deliver the care stated on the SRF;
  6. AtR will enter the details on the Care to Place (C2P); No personal information can be put on this requirement apart from the person's postcode, this is then emailed to care providers;
  7. Care providers will ask for the SRF and will confirm if they can assess and will offer times and potential start date, this information is emailed to the Practitioner to liaise with family on best match of agency;
  8. AtR will then confirm with care agency to complete an assessment and confirm start date;
  9. AtR will then add the service onto LAS and issue an IPO to the care provider.

3. Residential and Nursing Care Placements

Residential and nursing care placements are commissioned on a spot or block contract basis.

All residential and nursing care placements must be arranged through the AtR team without exception.

If a person has specific or complex needs you must provide relevant information to AtR to assist them in identifying an appropriate provider.

  1. Practitioner to complete a needs assessment, Care and Support plan which clearly sets out the needs identified for a placement;
  2. Practitioner to present the case to Quality Assurance Panel to obtain agreement to search for an appropriate care home;
  3. Once agreement has been confirmed, a Residential Request Form is completed on LAS and the Care and Support plan will be sent to AtR via work tray on LAS;
  4. AtR will then source a care home to deliver the care stated on the residential care form;
  5. AtR will enter the details on the Res to Place;
  6. AtR will use a matching tool to identify 3 potential care homes for the individuals needs;
  7. AtR to inform practitioner of suitable homes;
  8. Practitioner to liaise with individual and/or family on preferred home;
  9. AtR to approach preferred home with the residential Request form to ask if they can assess the individual;
  10. Care home will agree they can assess and confirm if the individual is suitable for the care home;
  11. If unsuitable AtR to start again at point f;
  12. AtR will confirm with the care home a suitable admission date;
  13. AtR will then add the service onto LAS and issue an IPO to the care home.

4. Respite

Bracknell Forest Council commissions all respite placements on a spot contract basis, whether generic or specialist in nature.

All respite should be arranged through the AtR team without exception.

If a person has specific or complex needs you must provide relevant information to AtR to assist them in identifying an appropriate provider.

  1. Practitioner to complete a needs assessment, Care and Support plan which clearly sets out the needs identified for a placement;
  2. Practitioner to present the case to Quality Assurance Panel to obtain agreement to search for an appropriate care home and confirmation the respite allowance has not been exceeded;
  3. Once agreement has been confirmed, a Residential Request Form is completed on LAS and the Care and Support plan will be sent to AtR via work tray on LAS;
  4. AtR will then source a care home to deliver the care stated on the residential care form;
  5. AtR will enter the details on the Res to Place;
  6. AtR will use a matching tool to identify a potential care homes for the individuals respite needs;
  7. AtR to inform practitioner of suitable home;
  8. Practitioner to liaise with individual and/or family on preferred home;
  9. AtR to approach preferred home with the residential Request form to ask if they can assess the individual;
  10. Care home will agree they can assess and confirm if the individual is suitable for the care home;
  11. If unsuitable AtR to start again at point f;
  12. AtR will confirm with the care home a suitable admission date and length of stay;
  13. AtR will then add the service onto LAS and issue an IPO to the care home.