Decision details

To extend the Social Prescribing Innovation Partnership contract which ends on 31st March 2022 for 1 year until 31st March 2023 with expansion to develop an offer for children. The report requests one year extension as allowed within the provision of the current contractual terms. The report also requests delegated authority to the Deputy Chief Executive or an Executive Director to extend this contract by the remaining two one-year extensions available within the contract should funding be identified to do so. In addition, the report seeks to secure resource to implement the recommendations of the Thriving Communities evaluation until March 2025. This will be at a total cost of £765,023.

RESOLVED - That:
The proposals outlined in the report are agreed; the Social Prescribing Innovation Partnership contract is extended for 1 year, including provision of children’s social prescribing for this 1 year period as part of the innovation partnership contract; delegated authority is given to the Deputy Chief Executive or an Executive Director to extend this contract by the remaining two one-year extensions available within the contract should funding be identified to do so; programme resource is secured to lead the implementation of the evaluation recommendations until March 2025. This will be at a total cost of £765,023.

Option 1 – The proposals outlined in the report are agreed; the Social Prescribing Innovation Partnership contract is extended for 1 year, including provision of children’s social prescribing for this 1 year period as part of the innovation partnership contract; delegated authority is given to the Deputy Chief Executive or an Executive Director to extend this contract by the remaining two one-year extensions available within the contract should funding be identified to do so; programme resource is secured to lead the implementation of the evaluation recommendations until March 2025. This will be at a total cost of £765,023.
Option 2 - It is agreed not to extend the Social Prescribing contract. This option would have no direct cost to Oldham system partners however, if delivery were to cease this would have the knock-on impact of the current Social Prescribing caseload and those in triage, at total of 600+ people, potentially being left without support and needing additional services from the wider system. It would have associated impacts for the Innovation Partnership providers who would either need to seek alternative funding in a short timescale, or cease delivery putting existing staff at risk. In this option no children’s social prescribing model would be implemented. This would mean the evaluation recommendations would not be implemented unless capacity to do this could be found from existing resources.

Option 2 - It is agreed not to extend the Social Prescribing contract. This option would have no direct cost to Oldham system partners however, if delivery were to cease this would have the knock-on impact of the current Social Prescribing caseload and those in triage, at total of 600+ people, potentially being left without support and needing additional services from the wider system. It would have associated impacts for the Innovation Partnership providers who would either need to seek alternative funding in a short timescale, or cease delivery putting existing staff at risk. In this option no children’s social prescribing model would be implemented. This would mean the evaluation recommendations would not be implemented unless capacity to do this could be found from existing resources.

The report has been prepared in consultation with the Deputy Chief Executive and Assistant Director for Youth Leisure and Communities, and with the Strategic Locality Lead at Action Together CIO.