To agree direct award in 2016/17 to Wye Valley NHS Trust (WVT) for school nursing and health visiting services to enable service redesign, tender and mobilisation following novation of contracts to the council.

To allow sufficient time for a detailed commissioning approach to be developed and procurement to take place for an integrated health visiting and school nursing service to be delivered from 1 April 2017, as part of the wider delivery of the council’s and children and young people’s partnership strategy for early years and prevention.

The continuation of statutory services in their existing form (with some improvements) as a short term measure will allow time for further development work of an integrated early years approach, as part of a broader programme of work across children’s wellbeing to align and integrate pathways including primary and community education, development and care.

To allow the existing contracts to expire on 31 March 2016. This is not recommended as the service would lapse and the council would then have no means by which to provide associated statutory duties.

To retender the service in full. This is not recommended as there is not (and has not been since changing the contracts) sufficient time in which to undertake such a procurement process prior to 31 March 2016. In addition, the council needs to review the service specification and allow sufficient time to develop a new approach to delivery, which enables a more integrated model with existing services.

To award the contract for a shorter period, such as nine months to 31 December 2016. This is not recommended as this would not allow sufficient time to review and agree the specification and to complete the procurement exercise. In effect, this would require the council to retain the existing service specification, thereby losing the opportunity for the necessary redesign.