By Jamie Waller, Local Democracy Reporter
The future of a Nottinghamshire healthcare programme will be debated next week after inspectors raised concerns about the NHS trust currently responsible.
The Nottinghamshire Healthy Families Programme is intended to help children get the best possible start in life.
The £15m-per-year contract is currently delivered by the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council.
Watchdog Care Quality Commission found earlier this year that the trust wasn’t keeping mental health patients safe in a rapid review after the conviction of Valdo Calocane.
The council decided in May to extend the healthcare contract until September 2025 so it had time to look at alternatives.
Four options will be presented to the Adult Social Care and Public Health Select Committee next week (Monday, September 9).
A council report says that a competitive bid for the entire contract is likely to emerge as the preferred option.
Awarding the contract to whichever provider is most suitable was deemed the most desirable and feasible, but the report says there is a risk one can’t be found in time.
Other options – such as taking part or the entire service in-house – would “be very challenging to achieve in the timescales required”, the report says.
It also warns there could be safeguarding risks if the service is split into multiple pieces.
A final decision will be taken by Councillor Scott Carlton (Con), the Cabinet member for Communities and Public Health, at a later date.
The Healthy Families service aims to provide early health intervention for pregnant women, babies and children, working with a range of other health providers.
It is a statutory requirement for all local authorities to provide this.
The council report says the service under Nottinghamshire Healthcare Foundation Trust performs well compared to other local authorities.
The CQC undertook a rapid review of the trust after Valdo Calocane fatally stabbed students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, and school caretaker Ian Coates, in Nottingham.
Calocane had been under the trust’s care for two years, and he first came into contact with its mental health services in May 2020.
The CQC’s inspection criticised access to mental health care under the trust, with high demand, long waiting lists, lack of inpatient beds and difficulty accessing crisis care.
The report expressed concerns that people might hurt themselves or others while waiting for care.
The trust’s rating is currently suspended as the CQC continues investigations.
The trust said it was ‘truly sorry’ after the findings, and said it was working hard to improve.
Chief Executive Ifti Majid said in March: “We are committed to providing high quality, effective and safe care to those people who need it most, and that is why this report makes difficult reading because it is clear that sometimes we have let down patients and their families and for this, we are truly sorry.
“We are currently developing our integrated improvement plan and we will ensure that every recommendation within the CQC’s rapid review report is implemented so that those who use our services receive the high quality care they deserve.”
