ASC25015 - Minor Adaptations and Independence at Home - Preliminary Market Engagement

Description

ASC25015 Minor Adaptations and Independence at Home - Soft Market Questionnaire Please note: THIS IS NOT A CALL FOR COMPETITION The Minor Adaptations service is currently delivered as an element within Worcestershire’s Promoting Independent Living (PIL) service. PIL is the Home Improvement Agency (HIA) for the county and has previously been commissioned by the Council in conjunction with the six district councils. The Council will recommission the Minor Adaptations service from 01 April 2026 outside of the PIL. Under the Care Act 2014 , the Council has a statutory duty for the provision of minor housing adaptations without charge. These are defined by the Care and Support (Charging and Assessment of Resources) Regulations 2014 SI No 2672 (‘the charging regulations’) as: "an aid, or a minor adaptation to property, for the purpose of assisting with nursing at home or aiding daily living and … an adaptation is minor if the cost of making the adaptation is £1,000 or less;." An occupational therapy assessment undertaken by NHS staff will identify (where applicable) Care Act eligible individuals who are eligible for this service and whose minor adaptations are under £1,000. Where individuals are not eligible, the service provider will signpost them to other sources of support. In addition to providing minor adaptations to people aged 65 years and over and to families with children, the Council is keen for the service to be promoted to people with additional needs including autism and mental health. The Independence at Home Service is commissioned to deliver hands on, responsive, short-term, practical, compassionate, and personalised support to enable a person, wherever safely possible, to remain at, or return to their own home following discharge from hospital. The support is aimed at avoiding long-term reliance, by linking individuals into existing support structures and community assets within a 6-week period. The service does not deliver any personal care. The service will also prevent, reduce, or delay a need for longer term health or care services by preventing unnecessary hospital admission relating to lack of home support and enabling safe and timely discharge from hospital. The service is accessed via referral from a health and care professional to the commissioned provider who co-ordinates the response via paid staff and volunteers. There is also the option to self-refer. Please answer the questions in the attached document (click on Synopsis) and send your response back via email to EMcGhee@worcestershire.gov.uk by 4pm on Friday 15th August. All responses will be treated as confidential and not shared with other organisations, however, the final specification and tender model may be influenced by this and other stakeholders. Many thanks for taking the time to complete this questionnaire – please ensure you monitor the Council’s Intend procurement portal to ensure you don’t miss future tender opportunities.