What's New Bulletin 81 - 17 February 2022
This is the eighty 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
- REMINDER Please continue to encourage staff to have both Covid-19 vaccinations, boosters, and flu vaccinations (information for all providers)
- REMINDER Workforce Recruitment and Retention Fund round 1 (October 2021 to March 2022) 2nd allocations to care homes and CQC registered community care locations (information for providers with CQC locations in Birmingham)
- REMINDER Workforce Recruitment and Retention Fund round 2 (December 2021 to March 2022) 2nd allocations to care homes and CQC registered community care locations (information for providers with CQC locations in Birmingham)
- UPDATED GUIDANCE COVID-19: management of staff and exposed patients and residents in health and social care settings (information for all providers)
- UPDATED GUIDANCE Coronavirus (COVID-19): admission and care of people in care homes (information for all care homes)
- UPDATED GUIDANCE Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing for adult social care services (information for all providers)
- UPDATED GUIDANCE Coronavirus (COVID-19): testing in adult care homes (information for all care homes)
- UPDATED GUIDANCE Supported living services during coronavirus (COVID-19) (information for all supported living providers)
IN OTHER NEWS
- Fee Increases 2022/23 (information for all contracted providers)
- LeDeR: Learning from lives and deaths – People with learning disabilities and autistic people (Information for all providers)
- Department of Health and Social Care ‘Made with Care’ Recruitment Campaign (information for all providers)
COVID RELATED INFORMATION
1. REMINDER Please continue to encourage staff to have both Covid-19 vaccinations, boosters, and flu vaccinations (information for all providers)
The governments' consultation on revoking provisions that require COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of deployment in health and social care settings closed on 16 February 2022. Until notified otherwise, care homes must continue to follow the current operational guidance and legislation
COVID-19 vaccination of people working or deployed in care homes: operational guidance
Vaccination still remains our very best line of defence against COVID-19 and protection for the vulnerable people that access your services. We are asking for dialogue to continue with staff in all social care setting about the benefits of vaccination and would like to remind you about the attached Department of Health and Social Care vaccine communications toolkit for adult social care staff. The communications toolkit can be used to provide information and resources to social care workers in all care settings in England about the COVID-19 booster and flu vaccine.
Please also continue to ensure you are regularly updating the National Capacity Tracker with your staffs vaccination status. The Capacity Tracker can be accessed below
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.
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.
2. REMINDER Workforce Recruitment and Retention Fund round 1 (October 2021 to March 2022) 2nd allocations to care homes and CQC registered community care locations (information for providers with CQC locations in Birmingham)
The Council has made 2nd allocations of the above grant to eligible care homes and CQC registered community care locations and payment is expected to be made with the next 7 days. The grant conditions letter and allocations lists have been circulated to providers. If you don't have copies, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk . Spend reporting requirements and instructions will be issued in due course.
3. REMINDER Workforce Recruitment and Retention Fund round 2 (December 2021 to March 2022) 2nd allocations to care homes and CQC registered community care locations (information for providers with CQC locations in Birmingham)
The Council has made 2nd allocations of the above grant to eligible care homes and CQC registered community care locations and payment is expected to be made with the next 7 days. The grant conditions letter and allocations lists have been circulated to providers. If you don't have copies, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk. Spend reporting requirements and instructions will be issued in due course.
4. UPDATED GUIDANCE COVID-19: management of staff and exposed patients and residents in health and social care settings (information for all providers)
This guidance covers the management of staff, patients and residents who have been exposed to COVID-19. It has been updated around self-isolation for residents of care homes who are contacts. Further information is also now available in Admission to care homes guidance. Updated information has been added for staff returning from travel abroad. The full guidance can be found below:
COVID-19: management of staff and exposed patients and residents in health and social care settings
5. UPDATED GUIDANCE Coronavirus (COVID-19): admission and care of people in care homes (information for all care homes)
This guidance covers how to protect care home residents and staff during the coronavirus outbreak. It has been updated to reflect the change in the self-isolation period from 14 days to 10 days. Further information has been provided on ending self-isolation before day 10. See the summary change note in the guidance for a full breakdown of all updates.
The full guidance can be found below:
Coronavirus (COVID-19): admission and care of people in care homes
6. UPDATED GUIDANCE Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing for adult social care services (information for all providers)
This guidance outlines the COVID-19 testing available for staff, residents, and visitors for all adult social care services. Updated information has been added regarding vaccination and testing. The instructions for use for SureScreen 25 rapid lateral flow tests has been moved to:
Coronavirus (COVID-19): testing in adult care homes
The full guidance can be found below:
Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing for adult social care services
7. UPDATED GUIDANCE Coronavirus (COVID-19): testing in adult care homes (information for all care homes)
This guidance is on regular asymptomatic testing for staff, residents, and visiting professionals in adult care homes. The Step-by-step guide to COVID-19 self-testing: SureScreen 25 pack nose-only test has been added.
The full guidance can be found below:
Coronavirus (COVID-19): testing in adult care homes
8. UPDATED GUIDANCE Supported living services during coronavirus (COVID-19) (information for all supported living providers)
This guidance is for providers of supported living settings. It has been updated to reflect the latest self-isolation advice for residents, removed lines on vaccination as a condition of deployment. The full guidance can be found below:
Supported living services during coronavirus (COVID-19)
IN OTHER NEWS…………………
9. Fee Increases 2022/23 (information for all contracted providers)
Just a reminder that the Council has concluded its fee setting process for contracted care homes, home support, supported living, and extra care provision for the year 2022/23. The new fees, along with the invoice and payment schedules have now been published on our website and will be applicable from Monday 4 April 2022.
Invoice, payment, and fees | Birmingham City Council
For home support and supported living providers who submit monthly invoices, please note that invoices you submit for the period 4 April 2022 to 1 May 2022 should be invoiced at the new rate.
For all contracted providers, we will be amending our payment systems in time to allow your payments to be processed promptly.
10. LeDeR: Learning from lives and deaths – People with learning disabilities and autistic people (Information for all providers)
From 4 January 2022, the criteria for LeDeR (Learning from lives and deaths: People with learning disabilities and autistic people) has included adults who have a clinical diagnosis of autism and who died on or after 1 January 2022.
Following notification that a person has died, a review is carried out into the person’s life and death, which seeks to understand the person’s experiences, improve services where needed and replicate good practice. LeDeR previously focused on the deaths of people with learning disabilities, however, due to the recognition that there are inequalities affecting autistic people the programme has been expanded.
A review of the life and death of an autistic person will now be carried out if the programme is notified of the person’s death and the person has not completed the national data opt-out. It is envisaged that this will enable the health and social care system to understand the specific needs of autistic people so that adjustments can be made, and any areas of good practice can be shared as well as improving services. To report the death of an autistic person or a person with a learning disability please complete the online form available at: https://leder.nhs.uk/report
An annual report is produced nationally and locally which reports on the deaths of people with learning disabilities and contains details of the work that has been taking place to improve services.
Find more information about LeDeR at:
Report the death of someone with a learning disability or an autistic person
View the national LeDeR policy
View the local LeDeR Birmingham and Solihull annual report
11. Department of Health and Social Care ‘Made with Care’ Recruitment Campaign (information for all providers)
The latest phase of the Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) national adult social care recruitment campaign - ‘Made with Care’ is live from now until March 2022.
The campaign materials are appearing across England and reaching millions of potential job seekers. The increased awareness of the adult social care sector will support care providers across the country in recruiting the dedicated staff you need by helping to position adult social care as a rewarding job where people can empower others to lead fulfilling lives.
‘Made with Care’ advertising directs applicants to the adult social care website where they can search and apply for social care vacancies. To take advantage of the campaign you should advertise your vacancies on DWP ‘Find a Job’ as this will allow them to be easily found by candidates with the right values
Visit the adult social care recruitment site for expert advice, handy tips, and simple templates to use in your local recruitment activity.