Service Reviews – Outline Business Case - Somerset County Council

(Cabinet – 2 May 2012)
• Limited flexibility in comparison to all other options as some SCC decision
making processes reduce responsiveness, particularly around HR and
recruitment and arranging appropriate accommodation to meet customer needs
• May lack business acumen / skills to compete with independent sector.
• Some service costs are likely to remain higher than the independent sector for
the foreseeable future, particularly in relation to SCC pension costs and terms
and conditions in comparison to independent and non-for profit competitors.
• Potentially limited opportunities for capital investment, although the Cabinet
decision made on 20 th October 2010 and subsequent Section 28a agreement
with NHS Somerset requires that any receipts from the sale of property to be
reinvested in services for people with LD.
3.1.4 Risks associated with this option 18
Option Description of Risk
Likelihood Mitigation
B
B
The service fails to meet the
requirements of the Service Plan
resulting in another option having to
be considered and the benefits
resulting from it being realised at a
later date than had the option been
pursued in the first instance
Staff terms and conditions, including
shift patterns to meet customer
needs, are unable to be varied
sufficiently resulting in the service
failing to meet the Service Plan
and/or with unexpected
consequences to the operational
delivery of services
3 Develop a robust and realistic
Service Pan as part of a full
business case if this option is
taken forward
3 Some aspects will need to be
taken forward as part of wider
work on staff terms and
conditions across SCC
3.1.5 Conclusion
While this option may initially appear to be the lowest risk, as the number of people
choosing to direct their own care through direct payments increases, the costs to
SCC of providing services to people who do not choose this route, are also likely to
increase. While carers have expressed concern about for-profit providers of
services following the Winterbourne View scandal, poor care and abuse is not
limited to the independent sector, and it is not recommended that the default
position should be to retain the service in-house on this basis alone. While the
LDPS is considered to be providing good quality services by many of the
customers and carers from which initial feedback has been sought, it will become
increasingly challenging to sustain this in the medium-long term within the current
environment. A move away for direct provision of theses services has the potential
to allow the LDPS to directly compete with other providers in the areas in which it
A - 18