Commissioning and Brokerage Procedures

This procedure should be used by all adult social care practitioners, with the exception of:

1. Practitioners arranging assistive technology or Telecare;
2. Practitioners arranging minor works or low level adaptations;
3. Occupational Therapy practitioners arranging equipment or adaptations to the home.

Although this procedure may be helpful to those people with responsibility for commissioning or brokering services, it does not provide specific guidance about arranging, monitoring or reviewing contracts, or any other associated actions that may be required. Anyone carrying out such actions should refer to available local processes.

For a list of the current providers commissioned by Bromley please see the Council's active contract webpage.

All personal budgets must be authorised before services or placements are setup. For the practice review group process, which outlines the required levels of approval in Bromley, please see the Local Resources area.

In Bromley most residential and nursing care placements are commissioned on a spot contract basis and there are some block contract placements. Placements should only be sought once all other options have been exhausted and the relevant approval process must be adhered to, for further information please see the Local Resources area.

All residential and nursing care placements must be arranged through the placements and brokerage service without exception.

If a person has specific or complex needs you must provide relevant information to the placements team to assist them in identifying an appropriately skilled provider.

For more information on residential and nursing placements please see the Council website.

For the process for arranging residential and nursing care placements please see the Local Resources area.

In Bromley supported living placements can be commissioned on a spot basis for individuals where this is the best way of meeting need.

Shared Lives provides care and support to adults with a disability and/or long-term support need. The scheme recruits, trains and assesses individuals and families to become Shared Lives Carers, who can provide support within their own homes.

Shared Lives works in partnership with Social Workers to identify people who would benefit from this support. This scheme is available for adults who live in the London Borough of Bromley and meet eligibility criteria. This includes people who have a diagnosed learning difficulty, people with mental health needs and people with general or complex disabilities.

For more information, please see the Shared Lives webpage.

Please refer to the Local Resources area for guidance on setting up Shared Lives placements.

All home care (domiciliary care) packages are arranged via the placements and brokerage service.

For more information on home care in Bromley please see the Council webpage.

For the process of setting up home care please see the Local Resources area.

Anyone eligible for support from Adult Services may be able to have a Direct Payment. This is a payment made direct to a person for them to arrange care and/ or support they need, instead of the Council arranging this. Direct Payments give people more choice and control over how their care is managed and they can use the money flexibly towards a range of services, including social activities and day opportunities.

For more information on direct payments please see:

• The Council's direct payment webpage;
• The Direct Payments Procedure.

Bromley Council commission a Direct Payment Support agency to support individuals wishing to employ a personal assistant with their Direct Payment. For more information on Personal Assistants and the Direct Payment Support Agency please see the Council's personal assistant webpage.

For more information and guidance on setting up a direct payment please see the Local Resources area.

Available carer's services in Bromley are:

1. Support from Bromley Well;
2. A Direct Payment (see Section 10, Direct Payments above);
3. Respite (see Section 8, Respite above).

For more information on Carer's assessment please see:

• Preparing to Establish Needs (Carers);
• The Skilled Conversation (Carers).

Please also see Bromley's online Carer's Assessment form, which carers should be directed to complete.

Please note: in Bromley carers are subject to means tested financial assessment for any services provided directly to them.

For more information on the provision of support for carers please see the Bromley Well website.

For more information on setting up a direct payment or respite please see the Local Resources area.

There are a variety of day opportunities available in Bromley for people that have been assessed as having eligible care needs. This includes older adults, those with physical disabilities, those with a learning disability and those requiring mental health support.

Day care services aim to help people:

• Enhance life and independence skills;
• To have regular social contact and get more involved in community life;
• To give a break to them and/or their carer.

For more information on the day opportunities available please see the Council website.

All day opportunities and regular transport are setup by the Placements and Brokerage Service, please see the Local Resources area for information on setting up day opportunities and transport.

Ad hoc transport requests do not need to go via the Placements and Brokerage Service, please see Section 13, Ad Hoc Transport below.

Ad-hoc transportation may be required for a person for a number of reasons, such as to facilitate a change of accommodation.

A request for ad-hoc transport can be made to the Adult Transport Team by filling out a form with the details of the transport required. The transport team will source quotes for the transport job. Once this quote has been approved by a senior manager, the transport team can arrange for this transport to be carried out.

For more information on setting up ad hoc transport, and for the required forms, please see the Local Resources area.

For more information on Hospital Discharge and SPA please see the Local Resources area.

Also see Extra Care Housing step-down flats (see Section 5, Extra Care Housing above).

Bromley Council's Reablement service provides intensive short-term support so people can relearn skills and regain their confidence to live independently. For more information, please see the Reablement Services webpages.

A referral to the Reablement team can be made via a Contact form on Liquid Logic. For more information on making a referral to the Reablement team, please see the Local Resources area.

Bromley Healthcare provide rehabilitation services in the borough which offer patients a period of rehabilitation after a stay in hospital. This service is provided in a bed-based setting on the Foxbury ward, or in the patient's home by the Home Pathway Team.

More information on this service can be found on their website.

The Dementia Post Diagnosis Support Service (known as the Dementia Hub) is a specialist service for adults with a diagnosis of Dementia, their families and carers as well as the professionals who support them. It aims to reduce and delay the need for more costly or intensive services by delivering personalised community-based support relevant to people's circumstances and the stage of their condition. Maintaining the independence of people with Dementia is a key aim as they move along the Dementia Pathway.

In Bromley a flexible service is provided for adults (18+) with mental ill health. This service supports individuals in the community and also supports with resettlement into the community after discharge from hospital.

The service aims to move mental health service users away from reliance on hospital and residential care, towards a personalised, community-based support.

Oxleas staff can make referrals to this service directly.