Agenda item

(Report of the Director of Public Health . To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing) The report will seek to award the contract for agreement of the 2014/15 contracts across the twelve borough collaborative and to repeat the negotiation and direct award of Genito-urinary Medicine contracts across an extended collaborative of twenty boroughs for 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 and to be part of the London wide procurement for a new GUM service model starting April 2017.

The Cabinet considered a report, introduced by the Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing which set out how the borough will be working with 20 boroughs in commissioning collaborative arrangements in order to manage more effectively demand led sexual health treatment services  with the intention of achieving increased value for money for Haringey residents.

RESOLVED

i.                     That the benefits that have been derived over the financial year 2013/14 to 2014/15 , set out in paragraph 7.4 in the attached report, from collaborating with other local authorities towards effectively commissioning open access GUM sexual health services and managing the Council’s associated costs (see paragraph 6 of the attached report) be noted.

ii.                   That subject to paragraph 3.4 of the attached report , the entry into formal collaboration agreement with 11 other local authorities(identified in paragraph 6.2 of the attached report and associated footnote) for commissioning GUM sexual health services in 2014-15 be approved.

iii.                  That the waiver, in accordance with CSO 10.01.2(d) (that it is in the Council’s overall interest), of the requirement under CSO 9.01 for tendering in respect of the 4 contracts identified in paragraph 3.2(b) be approved; and 

iv.                 That  in accordance with CSO 9.01.6(d), the following 4 contracts for GUM sexual health services provided to Haringey residents in the period April 2014 to 31 March 2015 be awarded  to the 3 NHS Trusts as  indicated below:

v.                   That the Council’s continuing participation in the joint negotiation with an extended group of 19 other London boroughs [see paragraph 6.2 of this report and associated footnote] towards the award of GUM contracts for 2015-16 and 2016-17 and subject to paragraph 3.4 of the attached report, the entry into a formal collaboration agreement for this purpose to be achieved by March 2015 be approved.

vi.                 That delegated authority is provided to the Director of Public Health, acting in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, to finalise the terms of the formal collaboration agreements to be entered into in accordance with paragraphs 3.1(b) and 3.3 of the attached report.

vii.                That waiver of the requirement to tender in respect of the commissioning, together with 19 other London Boroughs, of GUM services for 2015-17, (paragraph 2 of the exempt information report provides  further details)-be approved.

viii.              That  the main findings of the ‘case for change’ (set out in section 5 of the attached report) developed by the Pan London Sexual Health Transformation Project and the next steps as the project seeks to develop a collaborative procurement plan across London for GUM services in 2017-18 be endorsed.

Alternative options considered

The complexity of the current system of NHS provided GUM sexual health 

services, combined with the increased complexity of the commissioning

environment means that Councils can be more effective when they work together. Haringey Public Health’s experiences over the last two years have shown that it has insufficient leverage to either work independently or in smaller groups of commissioners (as was the case with the NHS North Central London GUM sexual health collaborative in 2013-14) when faced with negotiating costs and activity levels from the range of NHS ‘open access’ GUM services available to Haringey residents across London.

Reasons for decision

The recommendations as outlined in 3.2(a) and (b) are in accordance with Contract

Standing Orders (CSO) 10.01.2 (d) (that it is in the Council’s overall interest), of the

requirement under CSO 9.01 for tendering in respect of the 4 contracts identified (in paragraph 3.2(b)); and CSO 9.01.6(d), for the award of the 4 contracts (in 3.2(b)) for GUM sexual health services provided to Haringey residents in 2014-15 to the 3 NHS Trusts indicated above.

Haringey Council is a key member of the pan London Sexual Health Transformation project and of the GUM commissioning collaborative, (currently being extended to 20 boroughs), which will enable the Council’s participation in future procurements, where appropriate, and in the negotiations towards the award of GUM sexual health services contracts for 2015-16 and 2016-17.