Borders advocacy service up for grabs

by DOUGLAS SHEPHERD

The charity which has provided support for thousands of vulnerable individuals on a range of issues since 2005 could be replaced next year when Scottish Borders Council invites bids for a £900,000 independent advocacy contract in another of its procurement exercises.

Borders Independent Advocacy Service (BIAS), a registered charity and a company without share capital which is based in Galashiels currently receives £190,000 a year from the council and NHS Borders which allows its team of seven staff including five specialist advocacy workers to deliver the service. The payment to BIAS has not increased since 2017.

On Friday the local authority published a so-called Future Contract Opportunity which confirmed the intention to expose the advocacy service to bidders. The process will begin in earnest early in 2023 when a new three-year contract with a two-year extension option will be offered. The estimated value of the deal is given as £970,000 (exclusive of VAT).

A short description of the procurement which forms part of the 'opportunity' notice states: "Independent advocacy is when people are supported to speak up for themselves by a person who is only there for them and has no ties to the other agencies or people in their lives. The Scottish Independent advocacy Alliance (SIAA) Code of Practice describes independent advocacy as a service that: puts the people who use it first; is accountable; is as free as it can be from conflicts of interest; is accessible".

Then a more detailed account explains that The Independent Advocacy Stakeholder Group intends to procure a provider that will deliver a high quality independent advocacy service for adult users of health and social care services in the Scottish Borders.

"The service should offer support for multiple service user groups including: Older people; Mental Health; Learning Disabilities; people with autism; generic health; Alcohol & Drug services; and Adult Protection; parents with these issues.

"The service will also be accessible to other users of health and social care services including the homeless, asylum seekers, offenders, carers. Support should be prioritised around the Mental Health Act, Adults with Incapacity, and Adult Protection."

The council document says the independent advocacy service should aim to improve the quality of life of those seeking support as a result of increased knowledge, understanding and active involvement in their care. The number of clients annually has ranged from 250 – 300 over the last 5 years.

However, the current BIAS workload appears to be higher than that, according to the charity's latest annual report which was published in August.

It shows there were 328 new referrals in 2021/22 while successfully concluding 365 referrals. The report states: "In total we worked with 562 unique individuals. All of them have a health or social care need and the issues for which they seek support are very broad. Many are the subject of statutory interventions under the Mental Health Act, Adults With Incapacity Act or Adult Protection".

Among the issues dealt with by BIAS are homelessness and access to health care. Confirmation had been received from SBC and NHS Borders of a further roll-over of the contract with BIAS to March 31st 2023.

The council's information for potential bidders says: "Key outcomes include: people have increased control regarding care arrangements; people have more choice in their care arrangements; people are more able to assert their rights in making change happen; increased knowledge and understanding of Self Directed Support and Independent Advocacy to stakeholders."

In their annual report BIAS trustees said the council and the health authority would be conducting a service review in the course of 2022 to inform the writing of a new specification for independent advocacy which reflects the needs of the Scottish Borders.

"It is not known at this stage whether there will be a full procurement exercise. We have been advised that the service will go to public procurement in due course".

And the report goes on to explain that in the event of not being awarded the new contract then BIAS staff working on core contract would transfer to the new provider.