Decision details

Rough Sleeper Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: No

Decisions:

The Executive Director of Adult Care and Health Services submitted a report setting out a proposal to award the Public Health England Rough Sleeper Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant.  An Equality Impact Assessment was attached to the report at Appendix 1.

 

The report noted that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), made £262m available over the next four years for drug and alcohol treatment and related provision, specifically to meet the needs of people experiencing rough sleeping who had drug and alcohol dependence needs.  In August 2020, it had been announced that 2020-21 funding would focus on providing additional resources in the MHCLG 43 Taskforce Priority Areas.  Reading was one of these priority areas having a higher number of people sleeping rough who had been moved into emergency accommodation during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The purpose of the funding was to boost structured drug and alcohol treatment services, to account for additional costs from increased access and engagement from the rough sleeping population with consideration being given to how existing services could find ways to adapt, improve or extend their support to rough sleepers.

 

The report explained that Public Health England (PHE) had invited the submission of proposals by local authorities for the Rough Sleeper Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant funding and that a proposal had been developed with the local drug and alcohol provider Change, Grow, Live (CGL) based on an evidence-based model piloted in one of its Southampton services.  Reading had been informed of the success of its proposal in late December 2020, with a service delivery commencement date of January 2021.  £637k grant funding had been awarded to spend in Quarter 4 2020-21, although this funding could now be rolled over into 2021-22.

 

The report set out a proposal to award the PHE Rough Sleeper Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant in two phases. For Phase one (January 2021-December 2021) it was recommended that the core drug and alcohol provider CGL be awarded the grant to provide the evidence-based model submitted in Reading’s proposal to PHE for year one.  This would be a pilot project in order to ensure the proposal was fit for purpose and to give time to adjust requirements and draw up a specification for future requirements.  For Phase two (a possible four years from August 2021) it was proposed that an accelerated open procurement process be undertaken in respect of any future funding from PHE for the same purpose.  Phase 2 would allow any provider to bid for the contract and any staff already supporting the rough sleeping population would if applicable transfer to the new provider in line with the TUPE Regulations.

 

Resolved –

 

(1)          That the contract for provision of Rough Sleeper Drug and Alcohol Treatment service for the full value of the Year one (FY2021-22) allocation be awarded to CGL commencing on 1 January 2021 pursuant to Regulation 32 of the PCR 2015;

 

(2)          That it be noted that the Year one allocation was currently £637,000 together with any further funding allocated by PHE during 21/22 to provide the pilot project, as described in Reading’s proposal and approved by PHE for Year one;

 

(3)      That the services be re-tendered through an accelerated open procurement for the Rough Sleeper Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant (Rough Sleeper Grant Phase 2) (for a period of up to 4 years);

 

(4)      That the Executive Director Social Care and Health, in consultation with the Lead Councillor for Health, Wellbeing and Sport and the Assistant Director of Legal & Democratic Services be authorised to award the new Rough Sleeper Grant Phase 2 contract for a period of up to four years commencing in January 2022.

Publication date: 24/09/2021

Date of decision: 12/07/2021

Decided at meeting: 12/07/2021 - Policy Committee

Accompanying Documents: