Solicitor Provider support session - Sponsoring International Staff

Opportunity to ask questions about sponsor license information; record keeping and documentation, and sponsor duties and compliance

More information

Extraordinary Full Council meeting

View details of the extraordinary Full Council meeting to discuss devolution and local government reform

View more on devolution
Essex County Council - Provider Hub
Skip to content
Text size:

Market Vision

Increase choice and capacity in the social care and wellbeing market through increased access to directly employed Personal Assistants (PAs) and small, local niche provision (Community Micro-Enterprises). Ensuring people have access to the right support at the right time form the right people.​

Our strategic aims:​

  • Improve and increase support to recruit PAs for Direct Payment recipients by embedding the newly commissioned Direct Payment Support Service from July 2023 onwards.​
  • Develop a thriving ecosystem of Community Micro-enterprises in each locality that are meeting need and delivering services that people who receive Direct Payments and/or fund their own care are willing to purchase.​
  • Increase the capacity of the care market through directly employed PAs and community micro-enterprises.​

1 Year Delivery Plan by end of 2024​

​By end of 2024 we will have begun developing the infrastructure to support the PA market and PAs. We will have created an emerging Community Micro-Enterprise market in two quadrants of Essex and begun the development in the other two quadrants. ​

Key Milestones:​

  • Creating the infrastructure to support the PA market and PAs through a new PA hub that supports recruitment and retention of PAs via the Direct Payment Support Service​
  • Improve and increase the PA register and explore the use of digital and technology solutions that may support DP recipients, PAs and self-employed carers in their roles.​
  • Develop 120 community Micro-enterprises by December 2023 across North and South quadrants of Essex.

 

3 Year Delivery Plan by end of 2027​

​By end of 2027 we will have a thriving marketplace for Community Micro-Enterprises across Essex providing a wide range of care and support based on a strong understanding of local need. People who wish to commission this support will be able to find the right support easily via an online marketplace. and people who wish to directly employ a PA will have the support they need to do so.​

Key Milestones:​

  • Develop a thriving CME market with over 500 CMEs operating across the county delivering real choice and control for adults and carers who draw on care and support.​
  • An online marketplace for CMEs will be established and well used across the county.​
  • The Direct Payment Support Service will have established a PA hub that is well used and a PA register with at least 500 PAs registered. ​
  • We will be working with PAs and Employers to coproduce support to ensure the market is sustainable and that the role is seen as a career and is the fair cost of delivering this care is understood.​

 

7 Year Delivery Plan by 2030​

Description:​

By 2030 employing a PA and/or commissioning a Community Micro-Enterprise will be as well recognised as a valid support mechanism as home care or day care. Local self-supporting communities will be developed across Essex where people will feel confident to start up their own support organisations based on good quality insight into local need and demand and the best support provision will thrive.​

 Key Milestones:​

  • Over 1000 Community Micro-enterprises will be operating across the county adding capacity and freeing up capacity in the home care market to ensure everyone who needs support can access it.​
  • A redesigned and coproduced suite of Direct Payment Support Services is available to people in Essex and Direct Payment are easy to access and well understood. 

Workforce recruitment and retention

  • Increasing local jobs through Community Micro-Enterprise, more Personal Assistants and through the new Direct Payment Support Service creating local jobs.
  • More demand for alternative provision from self-funders will lead to an increased demand for Community Micro-enterprises and Personal Assistants.

Delivering good quality service

  • The development of local ecosystems of care that are built on word of mouth and local knowledge means that only providers delivering good quality will thrive.

Demand & Capacity management

  • Increasing capacity within the market and freeing up capacity by undertaking tasks that don’t need to be delivered by home care agencies such as shopping, cleaning, meal preparation etc

Putting lived experience at the centre

  • This is part of the redesign of Direct Payment Support which was coproduced with people who are experts by experience and other key stakeholders including providers, social care professionals and commissioners.
  • Community Micro-enterprises by their nature are person centred as they will only work with a small number of customers so they can focus on the persons needs and wants and flex their support around the person’s lives.

Technology capability

  • Tribe platform offering a digital solution to make sourcing care and support easier for individuals and small and micro providers.
  • Identifying technological solution to help people recruit and retain PAs and manage their DPs effectively.

Promoting Financial sustainability

  • This ensures that personal budgets can be maximised by paying the market rate for the tasks rather than a single price for all support.
Last updated: 17/08/2023
Previous Page Individual Service Funds (ISFs) Next Mental Health Prevention and Early Intervention