To award a five year contract for the Integrated Community Equipment Service (ICES) for Herefordshire for both the council and Herefordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and to approve the proposed model of operation.

The existing Integrated Community Equipment Service contract comes to an end on 31 March2020. This report details the intention to appoint a provider to deliver a joint service from 1 April 2020 onwards to fulfil the statutory requirements of the council and health bodies in relation to the provision of equipment. These duties are primarily set out through legislation in the Care Act 2014 and the Children and Families Act 2014. The council is the lead commissioner for the service which is funded 35% by the council and 65% by the NHS Herefordshire CCG.

The service supports over 6,500 people per year by loaning a variety of equipment from simple aids for a short period such as; a raised toilet seat for post-operative recovery, to very complex bespoke seating or hoisting equipment. The most frequently prescribed items are to address pressure care needs, hospital beds and equipment to aid moving and handling requirements.

The need to facilitate earlier discharges from hospital and to support more people within the community has increased the need for efficient and appropriately resourced equipment services.

The demand on the service is expected to grow over the next contract period, with a continued focus on equipment provided to people in their own homes to reduce the need for interventions such as domiciliary care, care home placements or avoidable hospital admissions. Soft market testing and stakeholder engagement activities have taken place over the last 12 months in order to inform the future model of operation, and the detailed proposals for the next contract period are in line with the changing demands.