Kent County Council has awarded 23 organisations contracts to provide home care services for the region’s 6,000 elderly and vulnerable people.
Savings of around £2.7m per year are expected by the town hall, which has reduced the number of providers it is employing for home care services and assigned organisations with specific geographic areas to cut down on travel costs and late appointments.
Following a tender process, contracts were awarded to organisations that showed they could provide the best quality of care and value for money.
Kent anticipates the smaller number of providers will also allow the local authority’s adult social care department to build stronger relationships with home care providers, the community and the voluntary sector, while better monitoring the quality of care delivered.
Graham Gibbens, KCC cabinet member for adult social care and public health, said: ‘What matters most to us is providing quality care to the people who use these services. These new contracts were awarded to providers who showed they could deliver quality at a fair price, so vulnerable residents can feel confident in the people who provide their care.’
‘These changes will bring real benefits to people receiving home care in Kent, as well as to the taxpayer.
‘However, we understand this may be an unsettling time for those who work in the home care sector in Kent. We are urging care workers to visit our website to find out more about their rights and the opportunities available under the new contracts,' Gibbens added.
