£2 million contract for reablement services to discussed by Plymouth City Council

Improvements to the social care reablement service are to be considered by Plymouth City Council's Cabinet on Tuesday (3 September).

The council will discuss plans to award a £2million a year contract to an independent company to provide Plymouth’s reablement service.

Reablement is a key service that helps people regain their mobility and independence after illness or injury and is designed to help reduce the pressure brought on by an aging population to care services.
It helps prevent people being admitted to hospital or care homes and speeds up discharge from hospital as people can go home with the necessary support.

If approved 84 staff members currently employed by the Council will move to the new provider with an agreement protecting their terms and conditions.

Currently the great majority of care is provided by the private sector with a small service provided by council employees.

Councillor Sue McDonald, Cabinet member for Public Health and Adult Social Care said: "We have an important opportunity to review and reshape our service to ensure that we can offer the best possible care to people with the resources we have available. It also makes financial sense for us to outsource the reablement work, at the moment we only have a small workforce and an outside company can operate more efficiently.

"Staff who leave the Council will be given guaranteed hours contracts, the TUPE agreement will mean they don't lose out in terms of work, training or pensions by transferring to the new provider."

The new  provider will be named if the contract award is approved by Cabinet. The company has significant experience of successfully delivering reablement services in other areas and will be able to provide an enhanced service more efficiently.