What's New Bulletin 71 - 9 December 2021
This is the seventy first weekly provider bulletin, containing information on guidance, procedures and new initiatives. Very urgent or high priority communications may still be issued on an ad hoc basis, but we will try to keep these to a minimum.
COVID RELATED INFORMATION
- Workforce Recruitment and Retention Fund for adult social care (WRRF) – 21 October 2021 to 31 March 2022 – Care Home and CQC Registered Community Care allocations (information for all Birmingham providers)
- Infection Control and Testing Fund: round 3 – Point 1 spend returns – 1 October to 30 November (Information for all Birmingham providers)
- Letter from the Department of Health and Social Care Temporary medical exemptions for COVID-19 vaccination of people working or deployed in care homes – Extended deadline 31 March 2022 (information for all care homes)
- UPDATED GUIDNACE COVID-19: management of staff and exposed patients and residents in health and social care settings (information for all care homes)
- Booster interval reduced from 6 to 3 months and resources for COVID-19 booster and flu vaccinations for social care staff (information for all providers)
- Message from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC): updating COVID-19 Booster Vaccination Information in the Capacity Tracker (information for all providers)
IN OTHER NEWS
- Message for Birmingham contracted Home Support Providers: bulk package take up options (information for all Birmingham contracted home support providers)
- GOVERNMENT WHITE PAPER People at the Heart of Care: adult social care reform (information for all providers)
- Continuing Health Care (CHC) Nursing Home Training Events 2022 (information for Birmingham and Solihull nursing homes)
- CQC Inspections using remote technology (information for all home support, supported living and Extra Care Sheltered Housing providers)
- Denture Loss in Community Project (information for all care homes)
- Join NAPA and My Home Life England to share your expertise and co-create a positive practice resource for Care Homes (information for all Care Homes)
COVID 19 RELATED INFORMATION
1. Workforce Recruitment and Retention Fund for adult social care (WRRF) – 21 October 2021 to 31 March 2022 – Care Home and CQC Registered Community Care allocations (information for all Birmingham providers)
Further to the government announcement of the above fund, the Council is distributing funding to Birmingham located care homes and CQC registered community care locations. The grant conditions are set out in the letter that has been circulated to providers. In a change from previous grants we do not require an Assurance Statement to be returned to us – by accepting and spending the grant it is deemed that the grant conditions have been understood and accepted. All locations are however required to submit a spending return by 15 April 2022.
Funding will be distributed in two payments (December 2021 and January 2022). Lists detailing the first of these payments have been circulated to providers – please review the lists to understand the total payment each location will receive. We expect payment to reach bank accounts within the next 7 working days. If you don't have copies of the grant conditions letter or funding distribution lists, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
2. Infection Control and Testing Fund: round 3 – Point 1 spend returns – 1 October to 30 November (Information for all Birmingham providers)
Following the recent distribution of the Infection Control and Testing Fund, each recipient location is requested to complete the relevant online spend form setting out details of fund spending between 1 October and 30 November 2021. Deadline for completion is 17 December 2021 to enable the Council to submit its overall spend return to the DHSC. Please see links below to the forms:
Community Care spending return
3. Letter from the Department of Health and Social Care Temporary medical exemptions for COVID-19 vaccination of people working or deployed in care homes – Extended deadline 31 March 2022 (information for all care homes)
A new letter has been published by the Department of Health and Social Care to reflect the extension to the self-certification cut-off date to 31 March 2022 for self-certification for everyone who has registered a self-certification before 24 December 2021. This means that self-certification forms will continue to be valid until 31 March 2022, so long as they have been received before 24 December 2021. The reason for this extension is because we are aware that some people who have applied for a formal exemption have experienced a delay in the outcome of their application being notified. Extending the cut-off for self-certification will allow sufficient time for individuals whose formal medical exemption is unsuccessful to be fully vaccinated before 31 March 2022.
The self-certification form for people with medical exemptions have also been updated.
The full letter and latest versions of the self certification form can be viewed below
Temporary medical exemptions for COVID-19 vaccination of people working or deployed in care homes
If you find you are experiencing staffing difficulties, then please do get in touch with your Area Commissioners at the earliest opportunity. Contact details of your Area Commissioners can be found below:
Who to contact in the commissioning team | Birmingham City Council
4. UPDATED GUIDANCE COVID-19: management of staff and exposed patients and residents in health and social care settings (information for all care homes)
This guidance covers the management of staff, patients and residents who have been exposed to COVID-19. It has been updated to clarify the wording around isolation requirements and to reflect LFD testing requirements after returning from another country – for health and social care staff, as laid out in the CAS alert. The full guidance can be found below;
COVID-19: management of staff and exposed patients and residents in health and social care settings
5. Booster interval reduced from 6 to 3 months and resources for COVID-19 booster and flu vaccinations for social care staff (information for all providers)
Please make your staff aware that the interval between vaccines for booster jabs has been reduced from 6 months to 3 months.
Information on vaccination walk in centres can be found below:
Walk-ins – Birmingham & Solihull NHS COVID-19 Vaccination Service
Vaccines can be booked online below;
Book or manage a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination - NHS
Two Q&A leaflets have been issued, focusing on COVID-19 booster and flu vaccinations this winter. You can download all care staff winter vaccine materials below, including posters, social media graphics and stickers. A new winter vaccines communications toolkit is also available, featuring case studies, expert blogs and a range of materials to promote flu and COVID-19 boosters.
6. Message from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC): updating COVID-19 Booster Vaccination Information in the Capacity Tracker (information for all providers)
Thank you for everything you are doing to continue to support the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The data that you report each day is invaluable to central government, CQC and local councils to identify the key challenges and where action and support is most needed. As you are no doubt aware, incidences of the Omicron variant are being reported in the UK. Due to this, booster vaccinations have become a key part of Government strategy in managing the risks to those receiving care. As a vital first step, the DHSC are urging you to check that what your location is reporting for booster uptake reflects the current situation. If your data needs amending, please do so at the earliest opportunity.
If you have questions or queries regarding how to update the data and where to report specific scenarios, please contact Capacitytracker-guidance@dhsc.gov.uk
Finally if you are experiencing technical issues with Capacity Tracker, please contact necsu.capacitytracker@nhs.net or the Capacity Tracker Support Centre on 0191-691-3729.
IN OTHER NEWS …………………………..
7. Message for Birmingham contracted Home Support Providers: bulk package take up options (information for all Birmingham contracted home support providers)
In order to support our hospital discharges and citizens requiring long term care after a period of enablement support we are facilitating the take up of groups of care packages that are currently out to the market through the CareMatch Portal within your designated areas.
A list showing the packages that are available in groups – either all of those in an area or a smaller batch - has been circulated to providers (if you don't have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk These are open to all home support providers on our general Home Support 2019 contract (unless currently suspended or being decommissioned). If you are interested in picking up a group of care packages in your area and wish to discuss this further, including how call flexibility can support with this, then please urgently contact your Area Commissioners to discuss further. You can find details of your area commissioners below;
Who to contact in the commissioning team
8. GOVERNMENT WHITE PAPER People at the Heart of Care: adult social care reform (information for all providers)
The Government has published a white paper setting out a 10-year vision for adult social care which provides information on funded proposals that they will implement over the next 3 years. The full white paper can be found below;
People at the Heart of Care: adult social care reform white paper
The government have also launched the Transforming Social Care campaign explaining the Government’s plan to reform social care featuring testimonies and further information about the changes to come, including how they plan to develop the social care workforce.
To find out more, visit the Transforming Social Care web pages:
9. Continuing Health Care (CHC) Nursing Home Training Events 2022 (information for Birmingham and Solihull nursing homes)
A flyer with the 2022 dates for CHC Nursing Home training events and details of how to book has been circulated to providers. If you don't have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk The training is aimed at Registered Nurses who could be involved in completing Checklists and/or contributing to Decision Support Tools (DST) in relation to NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC).
The aims of the training are to:
- Understand NHS Continuing Healthcare process using the Checklist and Decision Support Tool (DST) pathways. Including the Primary Health Need test and decision making.
- Revisit the key processes in line with Revised National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare 2018
On completion of this course, attendees will receive an electronic certificate towards their professional revalidation and CPD portfolio.
10. CQC Inspections using remote technology (information for all home support, supported living and Extra Care Sheltered Housing providers)
Following pilot work in 2020, and the consultation on flexible regulation that took place earlier this year, ASC Inspectors can now undertake care at home inspections without a site visit for home care (domiciliary care agencies) and extra care housing services, if key criteria are met.
Consultation on flexible regulation
The CQC have developed this methodology as an additional tool for inspectors to use so they can gather the evidence for home care services without the need to visit. They have updated their website with information on this methodology.
How CQC monitor, inspect and regulate adult social care services
11. Denture Loss in Community Project (information for all care homes)
Health Education England (HEE) and the Office of the Chief Dental Officer (OCDO) have set up a project looking at denture loss in community residential settings. Literature has shown a high incidence in hospitals, estimating 9500 lost annually, with no previous data investigating this incidence in community. The loss of dentures can have both social and functional issues for patients, that can significantly deteriorate quality of life.
Care Home managers are being asked to complete the survey below, designed to identify the incidence of denture loss in care homes and the issues this poses for residents. The data is being collected nationally, and will be used for developing a case for putting in place national policies to reduce denture loss, including measures such as routine denture labelling. The survey is completely anonymous and takes less than 5 minutes to complete and should be completed once per care home.
The survey can be accessed below. The deadline for the survey is 31 January 2022.
Denture loss within the community setting - Care Home Survey
Your time and effort in helping the project with this endeavour is greatly appreciated.
12. Join NAPA and My Home Life England to share your expertise and co-create a positive practice resource for Care Homes (information for all Care Homes)
NAPA and My Home Life England are inviting care home providers to share their expertise by helping co-create a free resource that will help Managers and Activity Providers in supporting great quality of life for people living and working in care homes.
To join them on one of the webinar dates below, please contact info@napa-activities.co.uk.
Webinar dates
- Tuesday 18 January at 2:30pm
- Wednesday 26 January at 10:30am
More information about NAPA
More information about My Home Life England