Wandsworth Council is set to fully commission its reablement services, a move anticipated to save the local authority £1.15 million annually. The decision, discussed at the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on Monday, September 21, 2026, aims to transition from a mixed in-house and commissioned model to a single, commissioned service. The estimated annual saving is intended to contribute to the council's financial sustainability and create financial headroom necessary to provide better quality, properly targeted social care for our residents
and avoid a rapidly deteriorating service
due to severe budget pressures.
Reablement services are designed to help residents regain independence and confidence following illness or hospital stays, typically over a six-week period. These services are crucial for the council's preventative approach, aiming to reduce the long-term demand for social care. The council's Transformation Programme aims to help our residents and people to remain independent for longer through various interventions
and strengthen prevention, enhance reablement, and ensure residents receive the right support in the right settings at a sustainable cost.
Currently, commissioned providers deliver approximately 80% of the borough's reablement activity. The in-house KITE service, while providing high-quality care, is reportedly not financially sustainable due to a significantly higher hourly cost compared to commissioned providers. This cost difference is attributed to the small scale of the in-house model, the way in which the service is staffed and organised, and the council terms and conditions that rightly apply to all employed staff. Previous work with staff has not been able to close this gap, and the challenges are linked to structural and contractual arrangements rather than the performance of the staff group. The purchasing power and scale of commissioned provision from providers allows them to deliver at a greater economy of scale, which does not impact quality.
The proposal to move to a fully commissioned model is expected to create a more consistent, reliable, and cost-effective service. The council will retain oversight through robust contract management, quality assurance, and performance monitoring. The council will monitor the quality and effectiveness of commissioned reablement services through a quality assurance team that visits providers and investigates concerns raised by social workers, residents, and families. This includes monitoring for safety issues, missed or late calls, and inadequate care. All commissioned reablement providers are registered 'Good' by the CQC, and the council holds providers to account for working to an agreed quality standard through robust monitoring processes. Performance will be reported through regular performance oversight and contract management.
To ensure sufficient capacity, the council will draw on a managed group of around 30 framework providers who already deliver home care and reablement services in the borough. Currently, 19 of these providers are used when KITE is unable to take on care. Soft market testing indicates that these providers have the capacity to absorb the remaining 20% of activity. These providers are not new and are already working in the borough, familiar with local provision and professional staff, thus mitigating concerns about their ability to take on additional hours.
Concerns were raised by Ms. Eunice O'Deane from Unison regarding the impact on the 27 affected KITE staff. The consultation process with these staff is planned to take place between October 2026 and January 2027. During this period, staff will be supported through individual meetings, with access to line management, HR, and Employee Assistance Programme support. Redeployment opportunities within the council will be explored, and staff will receive practical support to apply for roles with local care providers, who are actively recruiting and value the skills and experience of KITE staff. The council will also consider options for skills development and wellbeing support.
While the move is projected to save £1.15 million annually, one-off redundancy costs are estimated at up to £0.7 million. The council emphasized that the quality of care for residents would be maintained, with commissioned providers already holding 'Good' ratings from the CQC and delivering comparable outcomes. The transition is planned to take place between February and April 2027.
More information can be found in the Public reports pack for the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting. The Agenda frontsheet for the meeting is also available.