Provider contracts toolkit

Our ways of working

See the council's plans and priorities for inclusive growth, health, care and wellbeing and efficient and effective public services.

We also show how we approach adult social care with our model of working called Supporting Lives, Connecting Communities (SLCC) and what you can expect from adult care.

Equality, diversity & inclusion

In accordance with the Council’s Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) under the Equality Act 2010, Adult Social Care (ASC) will work together with providers of care to support the principles of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. The PSED requires public authorities to have due regard to:

• Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Act.
• Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not, and
• Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.

Incident reporting

We are requesting that you use the online provider incident reporting form below to report incidents that occur within your establishment that do not require a Safeguarding Concern to be raised. This process is purely to report information regarding incidents that you have considered are not a safeguarding concern and do not require a time critical response. 

Before completing the form, please check the Suffolk Safeguarding Adults Framework and Raising an Adult Safeguarding Concern Guidance to ensure this is an incident and not a Safeguarding concern. All safeguarding concerns should be reported in the usual way.

Once you have submitted the details of the incident it will be reviewed by ASC, if for any reason we feel this should be reported as a safeguarding you will be informed and ask to submit a referral in the normal way. We are aware in some cases incidents may not be regarding individuals, in these cases please input ‘N/A’ into the mandatory service user boxes. 

Contract documents

Service delivery supporting documentation

Training and opportunities for providers not accredited with Suffolk County Council can be found here:

Digital Social Care Records (DSCR)

Please note that this programme ended on the 31^st March 2025, which means there is no more funding available to providers at this time. If you are a provider that has been given funding and are due your final payment, then please get in touch through the below contact details, we will continue to give support to providers to the end of the process. In the meantime, please could we ask providers to complete and update their responses to the DSCR question in their Provider Information Return (PIR) and Capacity Tracker returns.

Contact details

If your premises falls within the Waveney area of Suffolk (e.g. Lowestoft, Beccles, Saxmundham etc). Please email nwicb.digitalsocialcare@nhs.net who will be able to offer further guidance.

For the remainder of Suffolk, please email dscr@suffolk.gov.uk or alternatively, contact our Provider Relationship Officer, Gina Trimble who will be happy to assist.

Tel: 07874 795569 

Email: Georgina.trimble@snee.nhs.uk

Local Business Development

There are a number of organisations in Suffolk that are able to work with you to develop your business.

• Care Development East provides information, advice guidance and training, supporting health and social care. 
• Menta provide business advice, masterclasses, seminars and networking opportunities for new, emerging and established businesses and those considering self-employment. 
• Suffolk Care Association (SCA) offers help, information, advice and guidance to providers of all types of care services in Suffolk. 

ICARE campaign

Community Social Care branding to add alongside your existing logos.

Business failure procedure

This is what will happen if a care provider suddenly finds itself unable to care for its customers. 

Locality Homecare and Support Framework

Since September 2019, Adult and Community Services have been commissioning home care and support through its locality framework. Providers working within this framework can refer to the information below. 

Use the table and parish-level map to identify applicable prices.

This strategy sets out our vision for the Care and Support Market in Suffolk. It has been established as a 3-year strategy for the period 2021/22 to 2023/24 and aligns with Suffolk County Council’s Corporate priorities.

Suffolk Marketplace

The information and data included within these appendices is intended to underpin and substantiate the aspirations developed within the Care and Support Market Sustainability Strategy. The data is correct to the best of our knowledge at February 2021.