Section one: Contracting authority/entity
one.1) Name and addresses
Buckinghamshire Council
11th Floor, New County Offices, Walton Street
Aylesbury
HP20 1YU
Contact
Miss Emily Everton
emily.everton@buckinghamshire.gov.uk
Telephone
+44 1296382018
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UKJ13 - Buckinghamshire CC
Internet address(es)
Main address
https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/
Buyer's address
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Open list for D2A
Reference number
DN552385
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 85000000 - Health and social work services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
Buckinghamshire Council is working in partnership with the Clinical Commissioning Group
and the wider health and social care system to sustain and continue the development of a
robust Discharge to Assess (D2A) pathway through the commissioning of Home care
packages and care home placements.
Discharge to Assess is a pathway which has been successful in reducing acute bed
occupancy. It is designed to be a nimble process that facilitates rapid discharge from
hospital of medically optimised individuals, enabling acute and community hospitals to
maintains capacity and respond to pressures, whether seasonal or due to the demands of
Covid-19. This pathway enables assessments of long term needs to take place in a setting
that is less restrictive than hospital, ensuring longer term packages of care and support are
reflective of the person’s maximum abilities. Some people may require this support for a
period of up to a maximum of 6 weeks depending on the assessment.
Our philosophy in Buckinghamshire is Home First. Whilst most people will be discharged
home without the need for any extra funded support, some will have care and support needs
that require D2A Home care Providers. This will provide care and support at home whilst
social care needs assessments, and occasionally NHS Continuing Healthcare Assessments
of eligibility, are undertaken in a community setting. It is expected that Home care providers
will accept D2A service users that are Covid-19 positive but have been asymptomatic for 48
hours and also those that are post 14 days isolation and Covid-19 recovered.
Section seven. Changes
seven.1.2) Text to be corrected in the original notice
Section number
II.2.4
Place of text to be modified
Description of the procurement
Instead of
Text
Buckinghamshire Council is working in partnership with the Clinical Commissioning Group
and the wider health and social care system to sustain and continue the development of a
robust Discharge to Assess (D2A) pathway through the commissioning of Home care
packages and care home placements.
Discharge to Assess is a pathway which has been successful in reducing acute bed
occupancy. It is designed to be a nimble process that facilitates rapid discharge from
hospital of medically optimised individuals, enabling acute and community hospitals to
maintains capacity and respond to pressures, whether seasonal or due to the demands of
Covid-19. This pathway enables assessments of long term needs to take place in a setting
that is less restrictive than hospital, ensuring longer term packages of care and support are
reflective of the person’s maximum abilities. Some people may require this support for a
period of up to a maximum of 6 weeks depending on the assessment.
Our philosophy in Buckinghamshire is Home First. Whilst most people will be discharged
home without the need for any extra funded support, some will have care and support needs
that require D2A Home care Providers. This will provide care and support at home whilst
social care needs assessments, and occasionally NHS Continuing Healthcare Assessments
of eligibility, are undertaken in a community setting. It is expected that Home care providers
will accept D2A service users that are Covid-19 positive but have been asymptomatic for 48
hours and also those that are post 14 days isolation and Covid-19 recovered.
If discharge home is not possible due to safety or client need, a care home placement may be
Page 5 to 9
considered.
The duration of each service user’s placement in the D2A package of care or placement will
be determined by the time taken to identify long term needs and funding arrangements. For
most service users this will be within two weeks, but where CHC eligibility requires a full
assessment, this may be up to six weeks. Service users are expected to move through the
pathway as quickly and safely as is possible for them.
Buckinghamshire Council is seeking to establish a list of Care Providers who would be willing
to accept D2A service users. Care Providers will be required to complete various pass/fail
criteria to obtain access onto the list. When an individual requires a D2A placement, Care
Providers will be selected from the list based on availability, the specific needs of the
individual, affordability and accessibility.
At times, we may need to acquire a number of domiciliary care hours in one geographic area
or a number of care home beds in one location. On these occasions a block contract may be
offered to one or several Care Providers on the open list. We are seeking providers of the
following:
• Domiciliary Care
• Live in Care
• Complex Domiciliary Care
• Residential Care
• Nursing Care
• Dementia Nursing Care
• Dementia Residential Care
• Care homes able to manage specific needs relating to mental health or spinal patients
The list is intended to be in place from the 21st of June
Care Providers will be expected to respond to referrals sent to them within 2 hours and pick
up and start packages within 24 hours. They will also need to be flexible in response to
requests to increase/decrease block provision as required to meet demand over this period.
This is important given the uncertainty of demand due to potential increases and decreases
in cases of the Covid-19 and ongoing pressures on the hospital trust.
We invite Care Providers who wish to provide these services to review the documentation
Page 6 to 9
and submit the statement document via the messaging function on the Buckinghamshire
Business Portal (www.supplybucksbusiness.org.uk) The contract and specification have
been attached for your information at this stage.
Once a care provider is named on the list there is no guarantee that care hours will be
offered. We are particularly interested in working with Home care providers that are
available to cover the following areas:
• Marsh Gibbon
• Brill
• Boarstall
• Oakley
• Worminghall
• Ickford
• Chiltern
• Long Crendon
• Dagnell
• Ibstone
• Turville
• Hambleden
• Frieth
• Rockwell End
• Amersham
• Cheddington
• Beacons Bottom
• Stokenchurch
Page 7 to 9
• Leighton Buzzard
We are also particularly interested in working with care providers that specialise in complex
care.
Buckinghamshire Council may request that a Spot Placement Agreement is in place prior to
the provider being approached for individual spot placements. The Spot Placement
Agreement will outline the terms in which the spot placements are delivered. It will include a
composite hourly rate that has been negotiated and agreed by Commissioners and the care
provider. It will be the expectation that these terms will be adhered to through the duration
of the agreement. Any providers not currently approved by Buckinghamshire Council will
have to go through an additional quality monitoring process to obtain approval before any
contracts are awarded.
Read
Text
Buckinghamshire Council is working in partnership with the Clinical Commissioning Group
and the wider health and social care system to sustain and continue the development of a
robust Discharge to Assess (D2A) pathway through the commissioning of Home care
packages and care home placements.
Discharge to Assess is a pathway which has been successful in reducing acute bed
occupancy. It is designed to be a nimble process that facilitates rapid discharge from
hospital of medically optimised individuals, enabling acute and community hospitals to
maintains capacity and respond to pressures, whether seasonal or due to the demands of
Covid-19. This pathway enables assessments of long term needs to take place in a setting
that is less restrictive than hospital, ensuring longer term packages of care and support are
reflective of the person’s maximum abilities. Some people may require this support for a
period of up to a maximum of 6 weeks depending on the assessment.
Our philosophy in Buckinghamshire is Home First. Whilst most people will be discharged
home without the need for any extra funded support, some will have care and support needs
that require D2A Home care Providers. This will provide care and support at home whilst
social care needs assessments, and occasionally NHS Continuing Healthcare Assessments
of eligibility, are undertaken in a community setting. It is expected that Home care providers
will accept D2A service users that are Covid-19 positive but have been asymptomatic for 48
hours and also those that are post 14 days isolation and Covid-19 recovered.
If discharge home is not possible due to safety or client need, a care home placement may be
Page 5 to 9
considered.
The duration of each service user’s placement in the D2A package of care or placement will
be determined by the time taken to identify long term needs and funding arrangements. For
most service users this will be within two weeks, but where CHC eligibility requires a full
assessment, this may be up to six weeks. Service users are expected to move through the
pathway as quickly and safely as is possible for them.
Buckinghamshire Council is seeking to establish a list of Care Providers who would be willing
to accept D2A service users. Care Providers will be required to complete various pass/fail
criteria to obtain access onto the list. When an individual requires a D2A placement, Care
Providers will be selected from the list based on availability, the specific needs of the
individual, affordability and accessibility.
At times, we may need to acquire a number of domiciliary care hours in one geographic area
or a number of care home beds in one location. We are seeking providers of the
following:
• Domiciliary Care
• Live in Care
• Complex Domiciliary Care
• Residential Care
• Nursing Care
• Dementia Nursing Care
• Dementia Residential Care
• Care homes able to manage specific needs relating to mental health or spinal patients
The list is intended to be in place from the 21st of June
Care Providers will be expected to respond to referrals sent to them within 2 hours and pick
up and start packages within 24 hours. They will also need to be flexible to meet demand over this period.
This is important given the uncertainty of demand due to potential increases and decreases
in cases of the Covid-19 and ongoing pressures on the hospital trust.
We invite Care Providers who wish to provide these services to review the documentation
Page 6 to 9
and submit the statement document via the messaging function on the Buckinghamshire
Business Portal (www.supplybucksbusiness.org.uk) The contract and specification have
been attached for your information at this stage.
Once a care provider is named on the list there is no guarantee that care hours will be
offered. We are particularly interested in working with Home care providers that are
available to cover the following areas:
• Marsh Gibbon
• Brill
• Boarstall
• Oakley
• Worminghall
• Ickford
• Chiltern
• Long Crendon
• Dagnell
• Ibstone
• Turville
• Hambleden
• Frieth
• Rockwell End
• Amersham
• Cheddington
• Beacons Bottom
• Stokenchurch
Page 7 to 9
• Leighton Buzzard
We are also particularly interested in working with care providers that specialise in complex
care.
Buckinghamshire Council may request that a Spot Placement Agreement is in place prior to
the provider being approached for individual spot placements. The Spot Placement
Agreement will outline the terms in which the spot placements are delivered. It will include a
composite hourly rate that has been negotiated and agreed by Commissioners and the care
provider. It will be the expectation that these terms will be adhered to through the duration
of the agreement. Any providers not currently approved by Buckinghamshire Council will
have to go through an additional quality monitoring process to obtain approval before any
contracts are awarded.