Decision details

Oldham Council currently commission Pennine Care to deliver Parent Infant Mental Health Services as part of the Family Hubs Offer. The original contract was awarded for two years and will end on 6 January 2026 with no option to extend.
A new contract for 1 year could be awarded via Provider Selection Regime (PSR) Direct Award Option C. This option would avoid losing skilled, clinical staff and a potential gap in service delivery. It would also allow time to consider future commissioning arrangements

RESOLVED - That:
To approve the award of a further one-year contract to Pennine Care for the delivery of PIMHS from 7 January 2026 up to 31 January 2027 and following a successful Provider Selection Regime (PSR) exercise. Funding is available within the Family Hubs budget.

Option 1 - To approve the award of a further one-year contract to Pennine Care for the delivery of PIMHS from 7 January 2026 up to 30 January 2027 and following a successful Provider Selection Regime (PSR) exercise. Funding is available within the Family Hubs budget.

Option 2 - Allow the contract to end in January 2026 and look at commissioning options after this point. This is not recommended as there would be a gap in service and highly skilled staff with Oldham locality knowledge would be lost. Any procurement process would take time to complete, and a new service would have to recruit staff.

There is a risk that by not awarding this contract, a gap in service could occur, and/or staff could seek alternative employment due to the lack of job security.

To approve the award of a further one-year contract to Pennine Care for the delivery of PIMHS from 7 January 2026 up to 31 January 2027 and following a successful Provider Selection Regime (PSR) exercise. Funding is available within the Family Hubs budget.

Pennine Care have been delivering PIMHS in Oldham as part of the wider Family Hubs offer since January 2024. Approval was given for the contract to commence on 1 April 2023 but the start date was delayed due to the provider facing difficulties recruiting qualified and skilled staff