A new place-based approach to commissioning home and community care, shaped with input from people with lived experience, has been approved by councillors today (Tuesday 30 June).
Members of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Adults & Health committee gave the go-ahead to a new place-based Homecare Framework when the current framework ends in December 2027.
Feedback from people who draw on care and support home in the community, along with their carers and families, has helped inform the new approach.
Rather than providers being able to bid for care packages across Cambridgeshire, as is the case with the existing framework, the new approach divides the county into 15 zones of similar population size, each of which will be known as a ‘lot’ on the new framework. The zones map to Cambridgeshire’s Local Super Output Areas — the small neighbourhood areas used for planning and statistics rather than the current district and city council boundaries.
The new approach supports the Council’s strategic vision for a healthy, fair and sustainable Cambridgeshire. By organising care around local communities, the framework helps reduce inequalities in access, strengthens neighbourhood support networks and enables more people to live full, healthy and independent lives.
Taking a more localised approach allows the Council to better meet the needs of those living in specific areas and communities and further supports people to stay independent at home for longer.
Providers will be able to bid to secure up to four lots on the framework, which has a total value for the 15 zones of over £773m for the period of the contract.
Councillor Graham Wilson, Chair of the Adults and Health committee at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “Developing this new approach has been a truly collaborative process. Not only have officers sought advice and insight from colleagues and partners, but they have also worked with a co-production group who have shared their homecare experiences and helped us shape these plans.
“We were pleased to hear that most people are happy with the care they receive, but we know there is always room to improve. Learnings from these conversations have helped us decide on the specification for the framework and the measures we’ll use to track what matters most — quality, consistency, reliability and good communication.
“Under the new approach, people will have more choice and personalised care that helps them stay safely in their homes and communities for longer.”
The new framework is due to be fully implemented by 1 November 2027.
You can read the committee report in full at: 6_Re-Tender of Home and Community Support Services
