Written question WQ95831

The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 (“the Act”) places statutory duties on local authorities and local health boards to meet the care and support needs of people in Wales.

On the 1 September 2024 the statutory National Framework for the Commissioning of Care and Support in Wales: Code of Practice (“the National Framework”) came into force.

Through our National Framework we aim to reduce complexity, facilitate national consistency of commissioning practices and rebalance commissioning to focus on quality, outcomes and ensuring fair work principles for care workers. The National Framework allows for local flexibility and variation in practices to meet their specific local population needs.

Through regional partnership boards, local authorities and health boards jointly undertake population needs analysis and market stability reports which in turn inform their regional area plan and resulting commissioning strategies.

Commissioners are expected to continually monitor their providers and in turn understand the shape of their market including identifying and addressing any gaps or risks. These provisions are intended to ensure that the current and future needs of local populations are being met. This includes ensuring the sufficiency of services such as care homes.

Through the work of the National Commissioning Board a range of tools have been provided to support commissioners in their work including a Market assessment matrix and a provider risk assessment checklist. Escalation protocols have also been recently reviewed to ensure any local risks can be identified and communicated to wider commissioners.