Modernising Services for Older People
Around 60 representatives from more than 30 companies, voluntary sector organisations and housing associations, attended a conference today (Tuesday) to find out more about The Highland Council’s invitation to independent partners to provide care home and nursing care services in Fort William, Grantown, Inverness, Muir of Ord and Tain.
The bidders’ conference followed publication of a notice in the Official Journal of the European Union seeking interest in the procurement initiative.
The proposals for providing care home places as follows: -
• 44 care places in Inverness, currently provided at Burnside and Ach-an-Eas;
• 32 care places and 10 day care places in Tain, currently provided at Duthac House;
• 32 care places in Muir of Ord, currently provided at Urray House;
• 30 care places and 14 day care places in Fort William currently provided at Invernevis House; and
• 30 care places and 15 day care places in Grantown, currently provided at Grant House, Grantown, and the Wade Centre, Kingussie.
At Kingussie, the Wade Centre will be refurbished to become linked to housing with support for older people in Kingussie. Day care will continue to be provided at the Wade Centre for people who are assessed to need personal care to remain at home.
The Council is guaranteeing contracts of a minimum of 15 years to bidders.
It hopes to be in a position to award a contract or contracts by the summer of next year.
Councillor Margaret Davidson, Chairman of the Council’s Housing and Social Work Committee, told delegates the Council currently operates 19 care homes across the Highlands. At the same time, the Council purchases more than 1,000 care home places from the independent sector.
She said the majority of Council homes were small and a number did not meet new standards expected by the Scottish Executive. In reviewing the services it provides to a growing older population to ensure they live at home for as long as possible, the Council had agreed to free monies from care homes to redirect into support services, such as home care.
It had been decided to include care homes in five particular communities as these were the largest facilities in the most populated areas and were seen to be the most attractive prospects for an independent sector partnership agreement.
She said: “The procurement initiative is critical and fundamental to our strategy for modernising services for older people. This project is about improving the quality of living conditions and ensuring a better quality of life for older people living in cares homes in the Highlands.
“We intend these to be flexible services which prevent the need for older people to move from residential on to nursing care and which can deliver for frailer residents in future. By securing a best value solution, which involves independent sector investment, we aim to redirect efficiency savings into home care and community-based services.”
She said the conference provided an opportunity for the Council to set out the specifications for the care home procurement. She said: “We are very pleased with the response we received from interested parties. We hope that the interest shown today will be translated into a range of value for money bids.”