Issue details

Without approval for funding it will not be possible to operate the targeted testing at scale that is part of Oldham’s strategy to contain, manage and ultimately defeat Coronavirus.
The purpose of the report is to gain approval to change the model of delivery for targeted testing at scale for the next 12 months, commencing 1st April 2021. The TTaS programme aims to offer twice weekly testing to people such as those who cannot work from home and do not have symptoms of coronavirus.
Between the 18th January 2021 and 31st March 2021, Oldham has been delivering a targeted community testing programme, based on the national Community Testing programme. Much of the current delivery model was able to mobilise at pace as the Council drew upon exemptions to procurement rules. To deliver at scale there were no alternatives to the current providers and current operating model.
Funding is based on a payment by results method with the Government allocating £14 per completed test. The Council has developed a model that can support a high volume of people to undertake twice weekly testing.
Although the letter from Lord Bethell dated 24th December 2020 stated that Local Authorities would not be out of pocket where reasonable measures had been taken to minimise costs, we are unclear at this point how the reimbursement will operate, to what coverage of deficit it will extend to and over what time period.
The model has since been refined to bring costs down, reducing bays, days and hours of operation and increasing outputs of each operatives. This has drastically reduced the staffing costs, but site fees remain high.
The government has stated that this programme is to run to the end of June 2021, but there is every indication that there will be a requirement to deliver this for the longer term. This will require a new model that is more financially resilient and that requires a less intensive ask on across a breadth of Team Oldham staff.
A new model is proposed – that being a clinic based multi-site delivery model for example a pharmacy-led model where there are no direct site costs, no direct staffing costs, no direct clinical waste costs, no additional clinical governance to be commissioned nor additional clinical insurance requirements.
The proposal is to develop a commissioning framework for a clinic based multi-site delivery model for example a pharmacy-led model whereby individual entities can bid to deliver tenders.
Tender 1 will be the delivery of LFT tests at a clinic/ pharmacy site paid on units of activity.
Tender 2 outreach and training testing provision payable based on a unit of activity.
It is proposed that clinics/pharmacies are asked to bid for a 12-month contract with an option to extend for a further 12 months.