What to expect when working with the council

What to expect when working with the council

The following section sets out how the Council will commission services and work in partnership with providers.

Procurement

From 24 February 2025 Local Authorities will be required to follow the new legislation for public procurement activity – The Procurement Act 2023.

Cumberland Council will use this as an opportunity to improve and streamline the way procurement is done and benefit prospective suppliers of all sizes, particularly, micro/small businesses, start-ups and social enterprises.

It is recognised that there will be a transition period following implementation where the Council and the market will embed the new practices together.

In terms of our strategic approach to commissioning, the Procurement Act allows us to rethink our approach to longer-term contractual arrangements where there is evidence of impact and outcomes, and work with micro-enterprises and smaller specialist providers who can demonstrate greater social value.

Find further details about Procurement, social value, tenders and contracts.

Tender opportunities

Cumberland Council currently advertise tender opportunities via The Chest, our electronic procurement portal.

The Chest provides a transparent and accessible platform for suppliers to engage with us, ensuring that all procurement activities are conducted fairly and efficiently. By registering on The Chest, suppliers can view and bid for a wide range of opportunities, helping us deliver high-quality services to meet the needs of our community.

We encourage all potential suppliers to register on The Chest to stay informed about current and upcoming tender opportunities. This approach supports our commitment to fostering a competitive and diverse marketplace, ultimately benefiting the residents of Cumberland.

Social Value

The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 requires organisations who commission public services to think about how they can also secure wider social, economic and environmental benefits. Its aim is the wider benefit gained by a local community from the delivery of public contracts or services.

The Act is a tool to help commissioners get more value for money out of procurement. It also encourages commissioners to talk to their local provider market or community to design better services, often finding new and innovative solutions to difficult problem. Therefore, the Councils strategy is to work alongside the market (see co-production and engagement).

The Council will use social value within its commissioning activity as a tool to:

  • address inequalities
  • support the local economy
  • address the climate emergency
  • promote fair employment practices
  • strengthen the local community impact

It is the Council’s aim to include social value as part of every commission and set out the social value expectations in the specification The Council will monitor performance on the delivery of social value via contract specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The Council is working with other public sector type organisations across Cumbria to deliver social value and support the development of stronger, more resilient communities.

To reflect the importance of Social Value we are committed to include a minimum of 20% social value scoring within all our tenders, where it is reasonable to do so. This approach ensures that our investments not only deliver high quality services, but also contribute positively to the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of our communities across Cumberland.

More information on social value in Cumberland.

Demand

Cumberland has a ‘super-ageing’ population with a significantly higher proportion of people aged 65 years and over than the national average. This trend is expected to continue with an increase of around 35% to 40% in the number of older people (65 and over) unable to manage at least one activity on their own or admitted into hospital due to a fall, by 2040.

Nationally, expenditure on support for working age adults (for example, younger adults with learning disabilities) will increase by 50% per year by 2030. We also know that we have a significant proportion of our population that are waiting for some kind of health intervention which means their conditions are not improving, in Cumberland we have more people with disabilities who say it impacts negatively on their lives.

Based on our Market Position statement, the key areas of demand are impacted by:

  • workforce challenges (good rates of employment/reducing numbers of people economically active)
  • geography, particularly rurality and national parks
  • transport infrastructure
  • affordable housing

Co-production and customer engagement

Co-production means working in partnership with people who have lived experience of drawing on care and support through the Council, ensuring their participation is given equal importance to that of staff within the organisation. Their contributions are valued equally, shaping both the design and delivery of services and projects.

The Council acknowledges its statutory duty to co-produce services but also recognises the broader benefits co-production brings. It helps to enhance service quality, build trust, and strengthen relationships between the Council and those who draw on its services. Co-production also fosters innovation, ensuring services are person-centred, responsive, and sustainable.

The Council is ambitious in its approach to embedding co-production within the commissioning of services. This includes designing commissioning processes that create opportunities for meaningful collaboration with people with lived experience at every stage. For example, commissioning frameworks will incorporate mechanisms such as mini-competitions to enable co-production during service design and procurement processes.

The Council also recognises that genuine co-production is a complex and ongoing process that requires sustained effort, cultural change, and capacity building. While it may take time to fully integrate co-production across all services, the Council is committed to ensuring all new commissioning projects include meaningful opportunities for co-production from the outset. This commitment includes:

  • involving people with lived experience from the very beginning of any commissioning project to ensure their insights shape priorities, decisions, and outcomes
  • providing training and support for both staff and people with lived experience to participate effectively in co-production
  • establishing clear feedback mechanisms to continuously learn from and improve the co-production process
  • developing flexible commissioning models that encourage innovative approaches to co-production
  • building strong partnerships with voluntary, community, faith, and social enterprise organisations to amplify the voices of diverse communities in co-production

This approach reflects the Council’s ambition to go beyond simply meeting its statutory obligations. It aims to place co-production at the heart of all services, ensuring they are inclusive, high-quality, and truly person-centred.

As well as co-producing services, each year the Council completes the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework (ASCOF) survey. This information will be used to inform our commissioning activity and strategic direction as well as an indicator or the effectiveness of the wider Adult Social Care offer. The 2023 to 2024 survey results placed Cumberland 14th nationally for Overall satisfaction of people who use services with their care and support, scoring 70.4 compared to 66.8 and 65.4 regionally and nationally respectively.

The Council will also complete service specific questionnaires/consultations for major commissions.

In 2024 Cumberland Council commissioned Healthwatch Cumberland to complete an in-depth project exploring the feelings, wishes and aspirations of the population as they grow older across each of the Cumberland KSCs. Each report will give an insight into what the people of Cumberland believe they need to age 'well' in multiple facets such as social activities and care provisions available to them. The findings from these projects will be used to inform future commissioning activity and enable the Council to better deliver to more localised needs.

Market engagement

The Council values its trusted providers and welcomes new providers to Cumberland and will complete proportionate market engagement for every new commission. This may include:

  • face to face events
  • workshops
  • online sessions
  • one to one meetings and questionnaires

Feedback from market engagement will be used to inform commissioning activity.

Currently there is no Independent Care Group that represents the ASCH market, though there is strong representation at our supplier engagement events relating to specific commissioning activity.

Peer Support Networks

There are benefits for providers to work together and to create a supportive marketplace where good quality and sustainable services can thrive. Cumberland Council, in partnership with Skills for Care, has supported the local market to set up a Regional Care Managers Network. The aim of the network is to:

  • support staff wellbeing
  • discuss common issues
  • explore solutions
  • share ideas
  • get updates from key partners

Guest speakers are invited (based on provider feedback) to share guidance and good practice.

If you are interested in attending or being a guest speaker or chairing one of the Peer Support Networks, contact our Strategic Commissioning Team

Email: [email protected]

Choice

When meeting the needs of customers the Council endeavours to offer choice on how their service is delivered and where possible, which provider supports them. The Council uses Framework arrangements, so that multiple providers can offer services to customers.

For larger Frameworks such as Care Homes, Homecare and Day Opportunities the Council will require providers to submit 'Provider Information Profiles' as part of the tender process. These will be published on the Councils website so that customers and their families can find out more about what is on offer to them. These webpages can also be accessed by people who are arranging their own care and support.

Details of these Provider Information Profiles can be found on Care services.

Workforce

The adult social care workforce in Cumberland is a vital component of our local health and social care system, which is dedicated to supporting the wellbeing of its ageing and vulnerable population.

The adult social care workforce faces a number of challenges:

  • local recruitment is a major challenge with providers facing competition from other sectors
  • Cumberland has a ‘super-ageing’ population with a reducing working age population
  • a number of services or residents requiring support at home are in rural and remote locations, making care delivery difficult due to transportation issues

In response to these challenges, the council is undertaking the following workforce measures:

  • work with our providers and the wider market to ensure that overseas workers are integrated within the areas that they settle
  • work closely with local care providers, Skills for Care, and other key stakeholders to actively promote careers in the care sector. Through this partnership approach, we are exploring targeted recruitment campaigns, training pathways, and career development opportunities that reflect the unique needs of our communities
  • use of technology to streamline administrative tasks and improve care delivery
  • promotion of the Real Living Wage to support providers to recruit and retain staff within the sector
  • supporting the development of an adult social care workforce strategy and partnership working with Skills for Care to provide training and support
  • supporting the embedding of equality, diversity and inclusion within the employment practices and organisational culture within the care sector

Market support

The Council wants providers to have a positive experience in delivering Adult Social Care Services on behalf of the Council. There are a number of ways in which we will support the market:

  • fair and transparent prices and uplifts
  • timely sharing information around uplifts
  • sharing of innovation and best practice
  • a supportive quality management approach (see below)
  • contract monitoring, including regular meetings
  • clear service specifications
  • prompt and efficient payment processes
  • use of Frameworks to promote transparency, opportunity and consistency
  • valued and trusted relationships – open door approach and access to commissioners via [email protected]

Quality

The Council, and its partners will operate a whole systems approach where quality outcomes are agreed, communicated and all stakeholders work collaboratively to ensure quality is delivered.

A Quality Assurance Framework is in place which includes monitoring and taking clear action where quality is not meeting expected standards and supporting providers in making the required improvements. The Council will work alongside the NHS and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to ensure that quality interventions are coordinated and where needed in response to regulatory inspection.

This approach is well embedded with 92% of rated Care Homes in Cumberland rated as good or outstanding (January 2025).

We aspire to have more people with a care qualification working in the sector and will work with the market to achieve this.

Technology

The Council is committed to using technology to its full advantage and will prioritise improving and expanding the assistive technology offer to customers so that they live independently and safely within their own homes for longer.

The Council will continue to work with individuals to assess their technology needs and to make sure that they can consent, understand, retain and weigh the options around technology, before communicating their choice and preferences.

The Council will also look at utilising online platforms to enable people with care needs and carers to access self-assessment tools and to benefit from information advice and guidance.

Joint Commissioning

The Council is ambitious in its plans to improve and strengthen Joint Commissioning Arrangements with its partners. This section sets out how the Council will jointly commission services in Cumberland with partners as well as, working together with customers and their families to ensure those services provide the best outcomes. It is intended to be the foundation for partners to develop integrated commissioning arrangements as recognition that no single organisation can do this alone.

The partners involved in joint commissioning services with the Council are:

  • NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENC ICB)
  • NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (LSC ICB)
  • Joint Commissioning Board (JCB)

The ICBs were created in July 2022 with the majority of Cumberland being served by NENC ICB.

The ICBs are responsible for ensuring that high quality and safe health services are accessible to communities. They have a wide range of functions including:

  • promoting integration of health and care services
  • improving people's health and wellbeing
  • reducing health inequalities

For the purposes of this strategy the term 'Joint Commissioning' refers to the work that Cumberland Council, NENC ICB and/or LSC ICB design and buy together using shared resources and/or finances, to meet our shared objectives. There are many challenges around the delivery of commissioned services, these include:

  • the availability of finance and resources
  • the number of providers in the market
  • provider workforce pressures

Work with the market to identify support to:

  • deliver innovative services
  • build further capacity
  • deliver resilient services
  • deliver good quality services
  • deliver flexible and responsive services

Joint commissioning will be outcomes based, using data to predict demand, improve services, and measure success

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Equality, diversity and inclusion will be key to delivery of the strategy. Structural inequalities relating to people who share a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 result in worse health and social care outcomes.

The Public Sector Equality Duty requires the Council to prevent discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and promote good relations in the community. The Council will ensure that the Public Sector Equality Duty is embedded through each stage of the commissioning cycle.

The Council will embed monitoring of Protected Characteristics throughout our contracts so that baseline data across services is used to inform current and future market analysis. Lived experience of people who share a Protected Characteristic will shape of Service Specifications, the tender assessment process and in the development of KPIs. Our social value requirements will include:

  • addressing intersectionality between poverty and inequality
  • protected characteristics
  • deprivation
  • rurality
  • personal circumstances
  • life experience
  • cultural awareness

It is important that where there is face to face delivery of services, providers maintain a local presence, that can easily be accessed by customers. Where appropriate the Council will ensure that service specifications include the requirement for this.

We will work with our providers who use overseas visa sponsorship as part of their staffing model to ensure that people are supported to feel part of their local communities. Our contracts include safeguards against modern day slavery and out quality monitoring practices include routes to report as appropriate.

Contact us

We always welcome conversations with stakeholders and care providers. You can contact us via email.

Email: [email protected]

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