Agenda item

Social Care Provision in Prisons in North Northamptonshire

Meeting of Executive, Tuesday 22nd February, 2022 10.00 am (Item 169.)

Decision:

RESOLVED:

That the Executive:

a) Approved the use of social care funding to enter into a contract arrangement for the provision of Social Care support to meet the assessed needs of prisoners at HMP Five Wells.

b) Agreed that the Council enter into an agreement with NHS England to vary the existing NHSE healthcare contract with PPG to include social care, utilising the flexibility afforded through the Public Contract Regulations 2015 Regulation 12, paragraph 7.

c) Delegated authority to the Executive Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing, in consultation with the Executive Director of Adults, Communities & Wellbeing, to take any consequent decisions in relation to the contract.

Reasons for Decisions:-

· The recommended course of action is the most cost-effective way of meeting the Council’s statutory duty to assess and meet the eligible social care needs of the prison population anticipated for HMP Five Wells.

· The recommended approach delivers maximum benefit to individuals, the Council and other key stakeholders.

· Alternative courses of action have been considered in coming to the above recommendations. These alternatives are summarised in Appendix A of the report.

Minutes:

The Chair invited Cllr Dorothy Maxwell to address the committee. Cllr Maxwell queried government funding for the provision of social care to prisoners as well as opportunities for councillors to tour the new facility at HMP Five Wells in Wellingborough.

The Chair thanked Cllr Maxwell for her contribution before Cllr Helen Harrison, Executive Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing introduced a report that sought agreement for establishing funding arrangements for the provision of social care at the new HMP Five Wells prison in Wellingborough.

It was heard that as of April 2021, the North Northamptonshire Council area had no prisons in operation and consequently received no dedicated grant funding from the Department of Health and Social Care. Since that date, HMP Five Wells, a newly built Category C resettlement prison in Wellingborough had started to receive prisoners in February 2022, with a view to being fully operational by November 2022, with capacity for 1,680 male prisoners.

Cllr Harrison stated that NHS England had conducted a competitive tendering exercise for the healthcare provider contract for the prison, the outcome of which was the award of the contract to the Practice Plus Group who were onsite at the new facility and recruiting for the healthcare team. It was noted that this contract did not include provision for social care.

The meeting heard that Council had responsibility for providing social care to those resident in prisons in its area as a consequence of the Care Act 2014. This report therefore recommended that the Council enter into an agreement with NHS England to secure social care support as a contract variation to the original agreement with Practice Plus Group.

It was reported that the cost to the Council of provision of social care to those resident in HMP Five Wells was a maximum value of £415,739.52 over the three-year period of the agreement, a level of funding allowing 24/7 cover by two workers. Given that the Council had currently received no funding for the care of prisoners, the cost of any care provided in financial year 2021/2022 would need to be covered by the existing care budget. This was anticipated to be in the region of £35,000.

Cllr Helen Howell noted the Council’s duty of care for all residents and stated that the Business Manager at HMP Five Wells was keen to engage with the local community.

The Chair and Cllr David Brackenbury welcomed the report, noting that a joined-up approach of social care and a robust rehabilitation process that met the needs of prisoners was of vital importance for all those involved.