Issue - meetings

[Report of the Director for Public Health. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Finance and Health.]

Following an  open tender, award of contract for a service offering community based sexual health services.

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Health introduced the report which recommended an award of contract to Embrace UK to allow them to continue providing a community sexual health service focussing on outreach and health promotion. The service would include; sexual health promotion, awareness raising and STI & HIV testing at the point of request.

The Council were already working with this organisation which provided excellent outcomes and would continue the Step Change programme.

In response to a question from Councillor Morris, Cabinet noted that the Council would be working with charities to support the LGBT community. The Council already worked with the London HIV prevention programme on outreach work and also accessed London level expertise through this programme .The community were also able to make use of inner London services and the Council was working locally with the ‘Wise Thoughts’ Charity and London Friends.

The Leader further reported that London Council’s have agreed to expedite the Pan London HIV prevention programmes from March 2017 to 2019 to ensure services were available in central London

RESOLVED

To agree to award, in accordance with Contract Standing Order (CSO) 9.07.1 (d), a contract for a community sexual health service focusing on outreach and health promotion to Embrace UK Community Support Centre, Selby Road, London, N17 8JL for a period of three years with options to extend for 2 further periods of 1 year at an annual value of £220,000.

Reasons for decision

From 1 April 2013, local authorities are mandated to ensure that comprehensive, open access, confidential sexual health services are available to all people who are present in their area (whether resident in that area or not).

A procurement exercise was carried out in accordance with the Council’s Contract Standing Orders and Procurement Code of Practice. As a result, it is recommended that the successful tenderer be awarded a contract as outlined in 3.1 in accordance with CSO 9.07.1(d).

Alternative options considered

As part of a rigorous exercise to explore potential options to strengthen sexual health service provision in defined target groups, the public health team considered merging the community sexual health service - outreach and promotion, back into the specialist Genito-Urinary Medicine (GUM) service. However, after careful consideration it was deemed that this option was neither viable, sustainable or in line with the Council’s medium term financial strategy.