Optalis was originally established as a company, wholly owned by Wokingham Borough Council (WBC).  The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead (RBWM) agreed to move the Royal Borough’s adult social care services into Optalis a few years later and Optalis now provide adult social care services with and on behalf of both local authorities.

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Optalis are set up as the provider of choice for their shareholders giving potential benefits around market management and moderation as well as potential cost efficiencies.  We undertook a review of the company to ensure the relationship with its shareholders was leading to the maximum possible benefits.

 

The review looked at: 

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• Innovation -  Optalis has a stated aim of being innovative; both councils want to support them in doing things differently and doing new things, in response to customer feedback and commissioner requirements.

• Commercial focus - Optalis deliver services with a commercial approach, but hold on to a strong value base and public sector ethos; with quality and customer focus at the centre of everything they do. 

• Relationship – Optalis works best when it works closely with the Local Authority partners to respond to new and changing demands for care and support services in the area.  This requires both Optalis and the commissioning teams to use the relationship appropriately.

• Stability – Optalis provide a safety net to the partners in case of market failure of providers and can step in to ensure support services continue to offer safe and effective care and support.

 

We also undertook a specific market analysis exercise for Optalis identifying the routes for growth for their Supported Employment Service 

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