Agenda item

[Report of the  Director for Public Health. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Finance and Health.]To seek approval to extend and vary the Whittington Health contract for one year from 1 April 2017.

The Cabinet Member for Children and Families introduced the report which sought approval to the extension of the school nursing service contract along with a variation to the service specification.

The school nursing service contributed to the improvement of children and young people’s physical, mental health and emotional well-being as measured by a range of outcomes set out within the Public Health Outcomes Framework. In addition, as part of the Corporate Plan Priority 1, the public health team had started a transformation programme with the school nursing service to implement the 5 – 19 year old Healthy Child Programme (HCP). This followed on from the successful implementation of the 0 – 5 year old HCP led by the commissioned health visiting service. The extension of this contract would enable the transformation work to be continued.

In response to a question from Councillor Morris, the vaccination programme would continue in schools but this would be provided by Vaccination UK.

RESOLVED

To approve, in accordance with Contract Standing Order 10.02.1(b) the following variations to the school nursing service contract:

1. Subject to the variation to the contract specification referred to in paragraph 3.1.2 below, the extension of the contract by 1 year, in exercise of the option to extend provided for in the original contract, for a second year value of £530,000.

2. a variation to the contract specification to omit the provision of the childhood immunisations and flu programme (accounting for £233,194 of the first year contract price) as a result of the discontinuation of the co-commissioning arrangement funded by NHS England when the section 256 agreement on that expires on 31^st March 2017.

Reasons for decision

Cabinet approved in January 2016 the contract for the provision of a school nursing service. The contract length was for 1 year with the option to extend for 1 year.

The original contract required provision of the core school nursing service as well as of the school age vaccination and the child flu vaccination programme. The latter programme was included as a result of a co-commissioning arrangement under a section 256 agreement between the Council and NHS England which provided funding of £233,194. As this funding comes to an end with the expiry of the one-year co-commissioning agreement on 31^st March 2017, it is proposed to omit the vaccination programme from the specification of this contract. The sole commissioning responsibility for the immunisation programme remains with NHS England, who have identified a new provider for the vaccination programme service. The core school nursing service will remain the same.

The extension and variation will enable the public health team to continue working with Whittington Health NHS Trust to maximise the efficiencies and progress the 5-19 year old transformation programme that is part of the Priority 1 Board activities for 2017/18. The transformation programme focuses on implementation of a universal Healthy Child Programme to reduce inequalities and achieve better outcomes for children, young people and their families.

Implementing the 5-19 year old HCP will enable Haringey to work towards the national agenda of wider integration across 0-19 years with alignment to the 0-5 year old universal Healthy Child Programme that is operating across the health visiting service, children’s centres and children’s services’ early help offer.

The school nursing service delivers the mandated National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) which is a statutory function within the Public Health Grant.

Haringey Council and Haringey Clinical Commissioning Group have entered into a partnership with Islington Council and Islington Clinical Commissioning Group. One of the workstreams is children and young people, led by Whittington Health NHS Trust. The workstream focuses on reducing A & E attendance, long term conditions (particularly asthma) and planning transition to adult services. Alongside this work stream the two public health teams are collaborating on reducing child obesity. As Islington’s public health team commission Whittington Health NHS Trust to deliver their school nursing service, extending Haringey’s school nursing contract will enable the two public health teams to work together to deliver efficiencies and innovation with the provider.

Alternative options considered

Currently NHS organisations are the main provider of school nursing services across the country. The market isn’t competitive and is under-developed. When the service was tendered in 2015 there was good market engagement but only 1 bid was submitted which was from Whittington Health NHS Trust.

Since the last procurement no new market opportunities, in terms of new providers, has arisen. Extending the contract would enable Haringey to procure again later when the market may have developed further and include the 0-5 public health services, to allow for procurement of an integrated 0-19 year old service.