Under the Care Act 2014, Luton Council has a duty to promote diversity and quality in provision of services and have oversight of the provider market. This means that the council must ensure that people who are living in Luton and require care and support have a choice of high-quality services to choose from with sufficient information to make informed decisions.
A position statement is an important part of what a council must do to create the right choice through ensuring capacity across the range of care groups in the local area. They are primarily aimed at organisations who are or might be considering working with Luton in the future.
The council works collaboratively with our range of stakeholders, including providers, experts by experience and voluntary sector partners, to shape the whole market for care and support, and to achieve the best outcomes for people living in Luton - now and in the future.
Luton’s approach to the care market
Our council has been working alongside our partners and providers to improve stability and to increase the available capacity. We continue to work with our providers on quality and market oversight activities. This includes work to be taken forward in 2024-25 to challenge Modern Day Slavery.
Our aims are to:
- build strong relationships with the market to encourage high quality services delivered to the people of Luton
- collaborate with our providers and system partners to ensure our services are delivered efficiently and continue to meet our aims and objectives
- ensure that purchasing decisions are outcome focused and underpinned by evidence of what works
- put in place transparent processes for identifying and purchasing care in line with the Care Act, working where appropriate with our health commissioners to provide consistency for our providers
Key challenges and opportunities
- Demand for our services. People are living longer, but many face long periods of poor health, which increases the need for care and support. To meet this growing demand with limited resources, adult social care must work closely with partners to provide care in new and different ways.
- Our model of extra care is not supporting the people in greatest need and requires a rethink we do not yet have sufficient access to affordable extra care housing, which means many of the people we support move into residential care, instead of living the life they want to in the community
- Our overall balance of care continues to focus on the right care at the right time. We continue to believe that less focus on residential care is required to drive our ambitions to prevent, reduce and delay the presentation of care needs within our local populations
- Mental health demand has increased, with 1 in 5 adults aged 16 and over diagnosed with a common mental health disorder. Our services need to emphasise the creation of stable living arrangements and positive day time routines for people and work to develop peer solutions for people with mental ill health.
- Services for our diverse communities around sensory and physical needs require updating. We will develop a dual sensory plan that defines and shapes our local offer.
- Our local carers offer is being developed with our partners. Greater emphasis upon getting the right help and support at the right time is underway. We are working with Carers Central to develop our trusted assessor approach to carers assessments.
- Workforce Challenges. Challenges persist in attracting and retaining a social care workforce equipped with the necessary skills, competencies, and capacity to provide the required level of care and support
- Shifting focus to prevention. Emphasising prevention of illness and enhancement of overall wellbeing is imperative, yet existing systems have primarily concentrated resources on addressing illness and crises as they arise (e.g., from BCF)
- Luton has a thriving digital agenda, but we need to go further and faster to ensure we can take advantage of new developments. Digital and the role of AI (artificial intelligence) in supporting greater productivity through tackling transaction costs is something that adult services is beginning to look at.
- The single greatest challenge for working-age residents of Luton with disabilities is accessing appropriate support with everyday living. The council is developing proposals to transform day and evening opportunities, improving the support available to promote independence through skills development
The council’s approach to a sustainable market is an evolving picture. The position statements are a snapshot in time and designed to support businesses to plan and to adapt. Other activities attached to procurement planning and delivery will be covered in separate plans.
Contact details
For any further information about older peoples’ services:
Email: commissioningsupport@luton.gov.uk
For any new business opportunities to work with LBC, please register to Proactis tender portal. Anyone registered on this will be alerted to opportunities as they become available.