Decision details

Report of the Director for Quality and Integration, in a form of a Market Position Statement, seeking to outline the ICU's position to sourcing care and care related activity for Older People. The updated version of the MPS will outline the ICU's commissioning vision and plans in relation to care for Older People for the next three years.

Following consultation with the Joint Commissioning Board to:-

(i)  Approve the content of the document

(ii)  Approve the publication of the document

Under the Care Act 2014, all local authorities are advised to produce Market Position Statement as a way of engaging with and communicating with the care market.

The current SCC and SCCCG MPS has covered the period 2015 – 2018 and is now due for renewal.

Without an MPS it is difficult to evidence that an open and a transparent approach to market management is being maintained. The market may prove less responsive to local commissioning intentions as a result.

DETAIL (Including consultation carried out)

The initial MPS (published in 2015 and covering the period from 2015 to 2018) is now in need of updating. While some of the key messages remain the same, a number of factors have changed. These include the understanding of a relationship with the market, and the ability to promote more meaningful engagement and joint working.

This new MPS is a summary of all key commissioning intentions relating to the ageing population. This includes a wide range of individuals, with a variety of needs (frailty, mental health, dementia, learning difficulties). The MPS outlines the city’s vision for future care services and purchasing plans, and has been developed with support from lead commissioners and key stakeholders. It focuses on the role of providers and the opportunities available to them in developing and delivering services, and covers the period 2019-2022. The MPS also encourages providers to consider how changes in client need and preference will impact on their business plans. It makes the case for Southampton as an attractive city within which to invest.

A number of market opportunities are covered within the MPS. These range from the community support offer and support at home to bed based provision. However, the primary focus of the document is to attract investment into the bed-based provision and to develop more capacity in this part of the market. This will include, but it is not limited to, housing with care and complex residential and nursing placements.

The MPS’s key messages have been discussed in detail with the provider market as part of the ICU’s ongoing programme of market engagement. These include informal discussions with providers, as well as more formal service development processes. The MPS will serve as the basis for ongoing discussions with the care market. This planned and continuous engagement with the market will enable the ICU to realise and maximise the vision outlined in the MPS.