Local Neighbourhood Care Services (LNCS) report: Part 1
Overview
Working with the Royal Borough of Greenwich, Healthwatch Greenwich supported service user and informal carer involvement in the procurement element of the commissioning process for Local Neighbourhood Care Services (LNCS). This included:
- gathering views and experiences on current services
- recruitment to the commissioning procurement panel
- working with service users and informal carers to develop procurement panel questions
- supporting service users and informal carers to participate in online procurement panel meetings
- taking meeting notes on behalf of service users and informal carers
- recording scores given by service users and informal carers for each online procurement panel meeting.
This report, part 1, contains a description of the process undertaken by Healthwatch Greenwich to support service users and informal carers to take part in the procurement element of the commissioning process.
What is commissioning?
Commissioning is the process by which health and care services are planned, purchased, and monitored. Commissioning comprises a range of activities, including assessing needs, planning services, procuring services, and monitoring quality. Local authorities are responsible for commissioning publicly funded social care services. This includes services provided to people in their own homes as well as residential care services.
Background
Local Neighbourhood Care Service (LNCS) is a new neighbourhood model for integrated Home Care and support in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. This service provides care and support to people living in their own homes (Home Care), including those living as independently as possible in one of three sites with 24hr staff presence (Extra Care).
Local authority-funded Home Care and Extra Care is commissioned via a competitive tendering exercise. A group of both those receiving Home Care, and those living in 24hr staffed accommodation (Extra Care), and their informal carers took part in the procurement panel interviews with potential suppliers, as part of the competitive commissioning process to win new contracts. The views of service users/informal carers received a 5% weighting on the overall score awarded to potential suppliers.
