There is currently a national shortage of directly employed Occupational Therapists (OT), including in Herefordshire, which is impacting on the council’s capacity to complete statutory OT assessments.

The contract with Access Independent Ltd will support the council to meet its responsibilities under the Care Act 2014, by completing 200 OT assessments within the six month contracted period.

The decision to award to Access Independent Ltd follows a four quote procurement process, in line with the council’s Contract Procedure Rules, via the ProContract portal. The council received two submissions, both of which were deemed compliant and evaluated according to the tender documentation.