Please accept this data request under the Freedom of Information Act as a Freedom of Information Request. This request seeks to collect data regarding your Local Authorities Market sustainability plan update – capacity plan submission to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on 30 June, as outlined under Condition 4 of the Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund 2023 to 2024 Guidance
DHSC has confirmed that they will not publish local authority Capacity Plans. Care England believes the information within the capacity plans submission is key information needed by care providers to aid financial planning, forecast, and to flex, or restructure their organisations to meet current and future demand locally.
Care England does not intend to report individually on local authority capacity plans but will use this data in its work to inform its members and care providers and to lobby government to find solutions to ongoing market and workforce pressures.
Please provide a copy of the document or documents submitted to the DHSC as outlined in condition 4 of the Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund 2023 to 2024 Guidance as per the below:
‘Condition 4 1.17. In addition to the initial and final 2023 to 2024 reports, local authorities must also submit a new annex to the market sustainability plans (published in March 2023). This annex will provide insight into local adult social care market capacity, and assurance that plans are in place to meet local need for different types of care. Local authorities will need to report quantitative and qualitative data on capacity by way of a capacity plan and must submit this update to DHSC by 11:59pm on 30 June 2023. The capacity plans will support local authorities in identifying capacity gaps and provide government with valuable insight into local challenges. As such, these will not be published. A provisional template is provided at Annex A.’
Report: Market Availability
Report: Capacity Plan
The Market Availability template was pre-determined by DHSC to read with formulaic processes and not to be overwritten with locally sourced intelligence around sufficiency rates. Therefore, the return made is in alignment to the requirement to meet the MSIF conditions, albeit may not be an accurate reflection of the current market availability in Devon as we know it to be.