To receive Report No.140/2022 from the Portfolio Holder for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Care.

RESOLVED

That Cabinet:

1.    APPROVED the procurement and overarching award criteria for the Care Technology contract.

2.    AUTHORISED the Strategic Director for Adult Services and Health, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder with responsibility for adult care to award the contract resulting from this procurement.

Report No.140/2022 was introduced by Councillor S Harvey, Portfolio Holder for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Care.

She highlighted that the current contract was due to expire on 31^st March 2023 and the current value of the contract was £67,662 per annum.

By 2025 analogue telephone services would be switched off as the UK’s telecoms infrastructure is upgraded to digital connectivity. Any new contract must ensure existing telecare and social alarm was not compromised during the switchover.

The service had two elements, staffing and equipment. The procurement model would be for both of those elements to the value of £83,000 per annum. Of this, the staff costs, the circa £33,000 would come from revenue budgets and the equipment costs of circa £50,000 would be funded from the Councils existing Disabled Facility Grant (DFG) Capital Budget.

The contract would be for 3 years starting in April 2023 with an option to extend to a further 3 years. This offered continuity over the digital switchover date.

Following questions it was confirmed that users who had analogue equipment would have it replaced with digital equipment. Part of the contract specifically supported those customers who had the analogue services for them to be switched safely onto digital.

The Council was confident that the proposed costs in the contract would not change and are correct as there had been an underspend in this area.

It was proposed by Councillor S Harvey that the recommendations of report No. 140/2022 be agreed, this was seconded and upon being put to the vote the motion was unanimously agreed.

RESOLVED

That Cabinet:

1. APPROVED the procurement and overarching award criteria for the Care Technology contract.

2. AUTHORISED the Strategic Director for Adult Services and Health, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder with responsibility for adult care. to award the contract resulting from this procurement.