For clarity, adults and children receiving complex care have substantial and ongoing healthcare needs, which require additional support to manage their symptoms. These can be the result of chronic illness, disabilities or following hospital treatment. Home care refers to packages of care delivered in the individuals’ own homes, not in care homes or residential facilities.
1. Please supply the name, email address and telephone number of the commissioner with responsibility for packages of complex home care for adults aged 18+ and children aged 0-18 years old.
The Council does not look after adults with substantial and ongoing healthcare needs. In relation to childrens commissioning it is Vikki Hearn, vikki.hearn@devon.gov.uk, 01392 383000.
2. For the financial years 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24, how many adults were in receipt of complex home care packages?
None. The Council does not look after adults with substantial and ongoing healthcare needs.
3. For the financial years 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24, how many children (0-18 years) were in receipt of complex home care packages?
Compliance with this request would exceed the appropriate cost limit under Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which is £450 or 18 hours of officer time. In Devon, many families are in receipt of direct payments and make their own arrangements directly to meet their child or young person’s needs. Due to the way the information is held, it is not possible to provide information about complex home care packages delivered through direct payments without reviewing individual support plans manually. To locate and retrieve the information would require a manual check of thousands of care files, which would take 10 minutes per case file, amounting to hundreds of hours of work.
In the interests of providing advice and assistance, the Council can provide information relating to packages it directly commissions, but not those that may be contracted individually be a family with a provider, using direct payments.
2019/20 – 16
2020/21 – 17
2021/22 – 23
2022/23 – 14
2023/24 – 23 (projected)
4. For the financial years 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24, how many hours of complex home care were delivered to adults?
None. The Council does not look after adults with substantial and ongoing healthcare needs.
5. For the financial years 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24, what was the total gross expenditure on complex home care packages for adults?
£0. The Council does not look after adults with substantial and ongoing healthcare needs.
6. For the financial years 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24, what was the total gross expenditure on complex home care packages for children?
Compliance with this request would exceed the appropriate cost limit under Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which is £450 or 18 hours of officer time. In Devon, many families are in receipt of direct payments and make their own arrangements directly to meet their child or young person’s needs. Due to the way the information is held, it is not possible to provide information about complex home care packages delivered through direct payments without reviewing individual support plans manually. To locate and retrieve the information would require a manual check of thousands of care files, which would take 10 minutes per case file, amounting to hundreds of hours of work.
In the interests of providing advice and assistance, the Council can provide information relating to packages it directly commissions, but not those that may be contracted individually be a family with a provider, using direct payments.
2019/20 – £164,545.14
2020/21 – £104,892.56
2021/22 – £122,263.86
2022/23 – £119,795.49
2023/24 – £254,365.22 (projected)
7. For the financial years 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23, what was the lowest, mean and highest hourly rate for complex home care packages for adults?
Not applicable.
8. Please provide the current the lowest, mean and highest hourly rate for complex home care packages for adults.
Not applicable.
9. For the financial years 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23, what was the lowest, mean and highest weekly fee for complex home care packages for adults?
Not applicable.
10. Please provide the current the lowest, mean and highest weekly fee for complex home care packages for adults.
Not applicable.
11. In the financial year 2022/23, which ten providers received the highest amount of funding for adult complex home care packages?
Not applicable.
12. In the financial year 2022/23, which ten providers received the highest amount of funding for children’s complex home care packages?
Promoting Independent Care Ltd, Newcross Healthcare Solutions, Ocean Healthcare (T/A Taher Ltd), Nurse Plus and Carer Plus (UK) Ltd, Southwest Interventions Services and Inspire Interventions.
13. For each provider, please provide the number of complex home care packages.
14. For each provider, please provide total expenditure related to complex home care.
In response to questions 13 and 14, the information is exempt from disclosure under Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (Personal Data) and Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (Commercial Interests).
Devon County Council can confirm the requested information is held; however, the Council cannot disclose personal information if releasing it would contravene any of the provisions in the UK General Data Protection Regulation. In this instance, due to low numbers, release of this information may identify the children or families. This would risk a disclosure of their personal information and would contravene the first data protection principle. Therefore, the information is withheld.
Additionally, this information is exempt from disclosure under Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (Commercial Interests).
Devon County Council can confirm the requested information is held; however, it’s disclosure would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of the Council. This is because the numbers are low and sharing this information means hourly rates could be ascertained. This would allow providers to benchmark against prices submitted, and lead to future tenders being less competitive and subsequently jeopardising the Council’s ability as a purchasing authority to achieve best value for money.
The Council has considered the public interest in releasing this information and recognises there is a public interest in openness and transparency. However, there is a stronger public interest in ensuring best value for money for the taxpayer so the maximum amount of money can be spent on services for the people of Devon.
Therefore, the balance of public interest weighs in favour of withholding this information from disclosure.