West London Adult's Services Programme
WLA Social Care Efficiencies Unit
This unit was formed in 2009, with the initial aim of undertaking specific, collaborative procurements for adult social care. The work of the unit has evolved into what is now the WLA Social Care Efficiencies Programme and encompasses the collaborative commissioning and management of social care for Adults’ and Children’s services across the west London Boroughs.
A core component of the Adults’ and Children’s programmes of work, undertaken by the unit, will be leading commercial negotiations and contract development for the West London Boroughs as a single client. It is intended that by acting as a single, intelligent, client, the WL Boroughs can secure savings in excess of those they could secure individually.
Adults’ Services Improvement & Efficiency Programme
Participating councils: Barnet, Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow.
The West London Adult Social Care Efficiencies Programme is the longest running of the WLA Efficiencies Programmes. Together the councils spend well in excess of £300m a year purchasing adult social care for residents. This programme, approved by the WLA in autumn 2009 and in 2011/12 in its second year of operation, focuses on collaboration to address the two highest areas of adult services expenditure - residential care (circa £200m pa) and home care (circa £57m pa).
Through working together the participant councils through the WLA supported programme have achieved significant financial savings or avoided upwards cost pressures. Aggregating the cash savings and cost pressures avoided the total comes to £10,624,193. A simple calculation on the return on investment of £423,500 gives a ratio of £25 saved/cost avoided for each £1 invested.
The programme uses a variety of procurement techniques and processes to make best use of the councils’ collective purchasing power. These include:
- a restricted tender processes to address the housing related support and home care markets, including best price negotiations as part of the process
- the purchase and development of a new adult social care management information system
- creation of an approved list for residential and nursing care home placements, underpinned by the new management information system
- supplier negotiations to reduce costs whilst also improving the supply chain and driving efficiencies for both supplier and purchaser
Key achievements in the 2011/2012
- Collaborative management of inflationary cost pressures in the residential home sector in 2011/2012 leading to cash savings being realised and costs pressures avoided for the West London councils
- Successful launch of the Accredited Purchasing and Contract management system of older person’s care home accommodation leading to councils achieving cost savings in 2012/2013
- Cash savings for West London councils secured through the continued use of the West London home care framework contract.
- Successful implementation of the CarePlace management information system enabling West London councils to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their purchasing and management of care home places for clients and growing recognition by professionals of its value; resulting in requests from other London councils to have access to the system