Domiciliary (home) care services
I am writing to make a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regarding the Council's commissioning of domiciliary (home) care services. Please provide the following information: 1. Council-run home care services: * Does the Council provide any in-house domiciliary care services? * If yes, how many Council staff are employed to provide home care? 2. Contractual Wage Obligations: * Does the Council include a mandatory requirement in its contracts with external domiciliary care providers that all care staff must be paid the Real Living Wage (as defined by the Living Wage Foundation)? * If yes, does this requirement specify that the Real Living Wage must be paid for all hours worked, specifically including travel time and waiting time between calls? * Please provide a copy of the specific clause(s) in the standard contract or framework agreement that pertains to payment of the Real Living Wage. * Please provide a copy of the specific clause(s) in the standard contract or framework agreement that pertains to staff wages and travel/waiting time. 3. Contractual Structure: * Are the current domiciliary care services commissioned via individual contracts with specific providers, or via a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) / Approved List framework? * If a DPS or Approved List is used, how many providers are currently active on this list as of April 2026? * Please provide a copy of the standard contract or framework agreement. 4. Contract Dates: * What is the start date and the scheduled end/expiry date of the current Domiciliary Care Framework or Provider contracts? * Are there any planned "re-opening" dates for the framework in the 2026/27 financial year? If not, when is the next opportunity to make material changes to contracts? 5. Monitoring and Compliance: * What mechanism does the Council use to audit or verify that external providers are actually paying for travel and waiting time at the agreed rate? * How many "spot checks" or audits of provider payroll records has the Council conducted in the last 12 months to ensure compliance with National Minimum Wage and Real Living Wage requirements? 6. Support for sponsored care workers * Does the Council carry any information pertaining to the number of sponsored staff working in the home care sector. * Are there any support mechanisms available for sponsored care staff who find themselves displaced due to the licence revocation of a service provider?