Provision of Home Care Support 2027

East Riding of Yorkshire Council will be holding a Market Engagement event to commission home care, reablement, and associated services from April 2027. This will replace and redesign existing arrangements to ensure a sustainable, high-quality and outcome-focused system of care. East Riding of Yorkshire Council has a statutory duty, under the Care Act 2014, to provide home care services for residents with assessed eligible needs, in order to enable them to remain safe and independent in their own homes for longer, reducing or delaying the need for more formal health and social care services.

This procurement is required to ensure the Council can continue to meet these statutory responsibilities while addressing increasing demand, market pressures and system inefficiencies. The procurement will establish a contract for the delivery of home care services, reablement, recovery-focused support, hospital discharge, crisis response services, and care delivery within extra care housing schemes. The aim is to deliver a sustainable and high-performing local home care market while improving the timeliness of access to care, including support for hospital discharge.

A key objective is to move away from traditional time-and-task care models towards a more outcomes-based approach. The Council also intends to strengthen integration between health, social care, and community services, and to reduce reliance on long-term care through more effective use of reablement. In addition, the procurement will enhance provider accountability, quality, and performance management, while ensuring value for money and overall financial sustainability.

The Council intends to introduce a neighbourhood-based service model. This will consist of a Lead Provider in each locality, responsible for delivering a significant proportion of care, supported by a small number of additional locality providers to maintain capacity and diversity within the market. This market engagement will cover this supplementary locality framework.

Services will be delivered in an integrated way, bringing together home care, reablement, hospital discharge pathways, and crisis or "new to care" support. Care will be allocated through planned arrangements rather than reactive spot purchasing, improving predictability and coordination. The model will also include block-commissioned reablement capacity to ensure services can respond quickly when needed.

It will be integrated with community health services, the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector, and extra care housing provision. Trusted assessor models will be introduced to streamline and speed up access to care. Overall, this approach is designed to reduce fragmentation, improve coordination, and deliver better outcomes for service users.

A standardised core rate will apply across most areas, with additional uplifts available where necessary for rural delivery. In certain areas, such as rural locations including the Wolds and for reablement services, a block contracting approach will be used. This model is intended to provide greater financial stability for providers, support workforce planning and investment, and reduce inefficiencies such as excessive travel and fragmented care packages.

This procurement is being undertaken in line with a range of statutory and regulatory requirements. These include the Care Act 2014, the Health and Care Act 2022, which promotes integrated care delivery with NHS partners, the Hospital Discharge Guidance, including the "Home First" approach, which emphasises timely discharge from hospital and will also comply with the Procurement Act 2023, ensuring that the process is transparent, proportionate, and focused on delivering value. In addition, the Council will meet its obligations under the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 by considering wider social, economic, and environmental benefits.

The approach will also support local corporate priorities, such as protecting vulnerable residents, strengthening communities, and contributing to economic growth. Expected Outcomes The reprocured service is expected to deliver reduced waiting times and improved access to care, alongside increased use and effectiveness of reablement services. It aims to reduce demand for hospital and residential care while improving continuity and coordination of support.

The new model will also create a financially sustainable and more resilient provider market, ultimately leading to improved outcomes and greater independence for residents. This procurement represents a transformational redesign of the home care system in the East Riding of Yorkshire. It responds to clear evidence that current arrangements are fragmented and under pressure, while ensuring the Council continues to meet its statutory duties under the Care Act 2014.

By adopting a neighbourhood-based, integrated, and outcomes-focused model, the Council aims to establish a more efficient, sustainable, and responsive system that improves outcomes for residents and supports long-term resilience across the health and care system.