Day opportunities are activities designed to promote independence and social inclusion, reduce loneliness and provide respite for carers. Activities
can take place in a building or be focused on outreach and getting out into the community.
We commission these services through a framework agreement, of which there are 15 providers (including Cumberland Care). We also commission some specialist transport to and from day opportunities for people unable to travel safely on their own. The new Day Opportunities Framework has now been commissioned and enables day opportunity providers to deliver transport as part of their service offer.
Market strengths:
Small group of well established, mainly local providers with knowledgeable and passionate staff.
Willingness in market to innovate and think creatively about service offer.
Market pressures and opportunities:
Access and distribution challenges in specific locations, such as rural market towns and parts of west Cumberland.
There is an opportunity to further develop the market to support people with learning disabilities with vocational and skills-based provision.
Capacity of specialist transport providers to meet demand at required times.
Limited provision in evenings, weekends and holiday periods, with opportunities to develop services outside of standard hours.
We are interested in expanding community-based and outreach models to include flexible provision (evenings/weekends), and to further develop skills, employment and training pathways.