Lot 5 Further Competition - Care and Support Services in Extra Care Housing (ECH)

This procurement is to enable the award of a contract to a single strategic level provider, to deliver high quality and outcome led care and support, across several ECH sites and schemes.

The contract period will be for an initial period of five (5) years, with an option to extend the contract by a further two (2) periods of one (1) year each.

'In Dorset a scheme is defined as extra care accommodation if it contains self-contained apartments and communal facilities, offers hot meals on site, and has an on-site care team available 24/7. The schemes are designed to accommodate people with a wide range of care needs, up to and including end of life care, it can also include people with a Learning Disability or Mental Health issue and can cater for adults of all ages where the Extra Care environment is deemed appropriate.'

The Council has approved a new commissioning and procurement model, covering four (4) existing extra care housing and housing with care schemes used by the council.

The model also covers the commissioning of care and support services across new extra care housing, developed over the next five (5) years, through a proposed ECH Development Partnership.

Much of the existing extra care housing provision commissioned by the council, does not provide a 24/7 model of onsite care and support and as a consequence, is not able to meet the needs of Dorset's most vulnerable residents who need extra care housing to remain independent.

Whereas existing extra care housing tenants will experience changes in service levels between April 2025 and 2028 that will benefit them, they may be impacted by the change in need levels and the increased number of tenants with higher care needs. The small but significant number of self-funders living in the existing schemes, may be impacted by increases in weekly core support charges.

To address this the provider will be required to work with and support the council in progressing a robust and well managed transformation plan. Given the service and funding changes that will come with the new contract, affecting over 200 older residents living across four extra care housing sites, a provider with the management capacity and resources to manage this complexity is needed.