To ask the Minister of Health for his assessment of whether Health and Social Care Trusts are securing high quality services and value for money under current care home commissioning processes.

When an individual is identified as requiring a care home placement, Health and Social Care (HSC) Trusts will advise the individual and their family of available placements from the list of care homes registered by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA).

The registration and ongoing inspection of care homes is to ensure the provision of a secure environment where the quality of care provided to all residents is safe and effective.

Whilst the aim should always be to facilitate choice for service users’, HSC Trusts have a parallel responsibility to secure the best value for money and protect the public funds for which they are accountable.

In accordance with the 2010 Circular HSC Trusts are required to contract for care home placements at the most competitive rate available for accommodation which it considers suitable for meeting the service user’s need. The regional rate for residential care and nursing home placements, set annually by SPPG DoH provides the benchmark for residential care and nursing home placements.

A review of the Regional Care Home Contract (2015) and the commissioning model for care homes is currently being taken forward through the Commissioning and Contracting Workstream of Social Care Collaborative Forum. This work is at an advanced stage and I expect the new contract to be available by the end of June 2025. The Workstream expects to progress to the review of the related commissioning and procurement model as the next step in this process.