What's New Bulletin 94 - 19 May 2022
This is the ninety fourth 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.
- Cost of care exercise 2022 (information for all Birmingham providers)
- ACTION NEEDED OUTSTANDING RETURNS Infection Control and Testing Fund round 3 – Final spend reporting DEADLINE 20 MAY 2022 (information for all Birmingham providers)
- ACTION NEEDED OUTSTANDING RETURNS Workforce Recruitment and Retention Fund round 1 and 2 – Final spend reporting DEADLINE 20 MAY 2022 (information for all Birmingham providers)
- Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) - Provider Data Assurance Workshop 23 May 2022 (information for all providers)
- Dementia week: information for staff and service users (information for all providers)
- Funded delegate places Knowlex Care Homes 22 Beyond Covid Conference and Exhibition for IPC Champions (information for Birmingham Care Homes)
- Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) upgraded website is now live (information for all providers)
- REMINDER ACTION NEEDED NHSX gifted iPads support ending June 2022 – please complete the next steps survey by 20 May 2022 (Information for Care Homes that received an NHSX iPad)
- REMINDER Planning ahead for the Commonwealth Games road closures (information for all providers)
- REMINDER Please ensure your current insurance documents are uploaded to the CareMatch Portal (information for all Birmingham City Council contracted providers)
- Skills for Care updates for registered managers (information for all providers)
1. Cost of care exercise 2022 (information for all Birmingham providers)
Further to the government’s publication of the ‘Market Sustainability and Fair Cost of Care Fund’ we have made the decision to bring forward this year’s cost of care / ‘open book’ exercise. While we have previously carried out exercises in August and September, we are intending to run this year’s process in May and June.
As with previous exercises we will be requiring all contracted care homes and CQC registered home support and supported living locations to complete and submit a cost of care template as well as encouraging all non-contracted Birmingham located over-65 care homes and CQC registered home support locations to do so. The exercise will commence initially with home support, extra care and supported living and will be followed shortly after by care homes. While we understand the additional impact on you of bringing the exercise forward we are keen to use the most up to date cost data to inform the cost of care report and our market sustainability plan which we are required to submit to the Department of Health and Social Care in October 2022.
Home support, supported living and extra care providers – we will issue further communication in due course setting out what is required, the timeline of the exercise and support available so you do not need to do anything immediately. However, you can visit the Local Government Association’s website using the link below, which provides details of the cost of care template we will be using, guidance and support available.
Homecare Cost of Care Toolkit | Local Government Association
Care home providers - we will issue further communication in due course setting out what is required, the timeline of the exercise and support available so you do not need to do anything immediately. The care homes cost of care tool is due to be launched shortly – when this happens we will issue further communication setting out details for how you can register and instructions for completing the exercise.
We are intending to establish two provider representative groups to help us promote the exercise but also to be involved in the development of the market sustainability plan – one group for home support provision and one group for over-65 / older adult care homes provision. We are seeking expressions of interest to join these groups so if you are interested then please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk indicating your interest, supplying your name, position, email address and the name of your care home or home support location.
The Market Sustainability and Fair Cost of Care Fund is part of the government’s programme of social care reform. The primary purpose of the fund is to support local authorities to prepare their markets for reform and to support local authorities to move towards paying providers a fair cost of care. You can learn more about the Fund by following the link below to the government guidance:
Market Sustainability and Fair Cost of Care Fund 2022 to 2023: guidance
2. ACTION NEEDED OUTSTANDING RETURNS Infection Control and Testing Fund round 3 – Final spend reporting DEADLINE 20 MAY 2022 (information for all Birmingham providers)
Further to the distribution of Infection Control and Testing Fund 3 grant payments, a significant number of care homes and community care locations have not submitted spend returns as required by the grant conditions. Please the lists which have been sent to you, which detail those locations which had not submitted returns as at 25 April 2022 and complete and submit the spend return using the links to the online forms below. N.B. the attachments contain two tabs – one for care homes and one for community care locations. If spend returns are not received by 20 May 2022 you will not be able to submit a return and we shall initiate the process to invoice you for the return of the full grant amount.
Care Homes ICTF final spending report
Community Care ICTF final spending report
Please ensure that you input the correct CQC location name and ID number when completing the forms. Incorrect details will render the form invalid and it will be classified as a non-return.
3. ACTION NEEDED OUTSTANDING RETURNS Workforce Recruitment and Retention Fund round 1 and 2 – Final spend reporting DEADLINE 20 MAY 2022 (information for all Birmingham providers)
Further to the distribution of the Workforce Recruitment and Retention Fund round 1 and 2 grant funding, a significant number of care homes and community care locations have not submitted spend returns as required by the grant conditions. Please check the lists which have been sent to you, which detail those locations which had not submitted returns as at 25 April 2022 and complete and submit the spend return using the links to the online forms below. N.B. the attachments contain two tabs – one for care homes and one for community care locations. If spend returns are not received by 20 May 2022 you will not be able to submit a return and we shall initiate the process to invoice you for the return of the full grant amount.
Workforce Recruitment and Retention Fund round 1 and 2 final spending report
There is a single form covering both care homes and community care locations – please ensure that you input the correct CQC location name and ID number when completing the forms. Incorrect details will render the form invalid and it will be classified as a non-return.
4. Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) - Provider Data Assurance Workshop 23 May 2022 (information for all providers)
The government’s white paper, People and the Heart of Care, outlined their ambition to improve the quality and timeliness of adult social care data so that all stakeholders in the system, at national, regional, and local levels have access to the information they need to provide the best possible care. Among other things, the white paper provided an overview of the government’s proposals to better understand the social care system both in and outside local authority funded provision.
DHSC is aspiring to a culture of transparency around data and ensuring that any national data collection is proportionate and aligned across local and national systems. The Health and Care Act provides new powers for DHSC to collect data from private care providers. Some of you may have already been involved in workshops the department is running to map out a long-term provider data collection and will know our aim is to work collaboratively with our stakeholders to develop a data collection that manages burden and can be used by the entire sector. To that end, our aim is to ensure that data requirements are implemented with an appropriate level of support and consideration of any issues particular providers might have.
The Act also envisages an enforcement mechanism in our new framework. So, the Act provides regulation making powers to enable the imposition of financial penalties for non-compliance.
DHSC colleagues will be running a session to outline our approach to these issues on 23 May 2022, where they would welcome your participation.
Should you wish to attend, please express your interest via the AssuranceBriefingHub@dhsc.gov.uk with the subject heading Provider Data Assurance Session
5. Dementia week: information for staff and service users (information for all providers)
For Dementia Awareness Week, at Birmingham City Council we’re spreading the word about brain health. Information on tips on how to prevent, or delay the signs of dementia has been circulated to providers - if you don't have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
There are also a number of resources available;
Home | Birmingham Connect to Support
Route 2 Wellbeing Birmingham (r2wbirmingham.info)
Start your journey towards better brain health today!
6. Funded delegate places Knowlex Care Homes 22 Beyond Covid Conference and Exhibition for IPC Champions (information for Birmingham Care Homes)
The Knowlex Care Homes 22 Beyond Covid Conference & Exhibition will take place on Wednesday 21 September 2022 at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham, UK.
To view the latest updates on speakers, agenda and sponsors visit the conference website by clicking on the link below:
Care Homes 22 Beyond Covid Conference Website
There are a limited number of fully funded tickets available for the Public Sector and NHS provider organisations, if you think you may qualify, please contact the delegate team on delegates@knowlex.co.uk or 0161 696 4868. Please be aware that marketing codes are for limited numbers of places. The delegate team will contact you after you place your application to let you know if you have been successful. Alternatively, please complete the application form via the website, and include the discount code provided CH6.
7. Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) upgraded website is now live (information for all providers)
The CQC have made changes to its website as part of their strategy to make their public information more accessible and easy to use;
- New design makes it easier to use on mobiles and tablets.
- Simplified navigation menu.
- Improved the search function.
- You can now download widgets and posters direct from the overview section of your profile page.
All provider ratings, display widgets, posters, email alerts and guidance remain available.
The CQC will continue to make improvements, including updated guidance for providers. They will keep you updated as they happen, including any opportunities to get involved.
Read more about the website upgrade below;
CQC website update | CQC Public Website
8. REMINDER ACTION NEEDED NHSX gifted iPads support ending June 2022 – please complete the next steps survey by 20 May 2022 (Information for Care Homes that received an NHSX iPad)
In winter 2020, to support the pandemic response, NHSX procured and gifted 11,000 iPads to care homes across the country. The iPads were to support care homes to access remote health consultations and wellbeing services for the people in their care, and to help keep residents connected to their loved ones during the pandemic. NHSX will be ending central funding for mobile device management support in June 2022. Mobile Device Management software helps to keep an iPad safe, and means that an iPad can have a custom set-up depending on the needs of the user.
NHSTD & Jigsaw 24 have launched a survey to collect the views of care homes with NHSX iPads. This data will be shared with Integrated Care Systems so that they can see what care providers in their area would like to do, and see where care homes haven’t responded. The deadline for the survey has been extended for two weeks and will close on Friday 20 May 2022.
If care homes do not respond, then from 1 July 2022 any iPads that have not transitioned to a new MDM solution will not be able to be used to access certain tools, for example NHSMail or GP Proxy. As long as the care home has activated the iPads and created an Apple ID, the iPad will be able to be used as a personal device.
A question and answer document to support the next steps has been circulated to care homes. If you don't have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
This question and answer document will shortly be made available via the Digital Social Care Website where you can find all other resources relating to the iPad offer. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch by emailing ipad.offer@nhsx.nhs.uk
9. REMINDER Planning ahead for the Commonwealth Games road closures (information for all providers)
During the Commonwealth Games to be held in Birmingham this summer (28 July to 8 August 2022), there will be a number of road events which will result in road closures and overall increases in demand for public transport for the duration of the games.
Public drop-in sessions are taking place in April and May for residents and businesses to ask questions about preparations for Birmingham 2022, in Birmingham city centre, Edgbaston, Perry Barr, Sutton Coldfield and wards along the Marathon route. A full list of the events can be found below;
Get set for the Games - drop-in sessions
All events | Birmingham City Council (bebirmingham.co.uk)
10. REMINDER Please ensure your current insurance documents are uploaded to the CareMatch Portal (information for all Birmingham City Council contracted providers)
It is an important part of your contractual obligations to Birmingham City Council, and a legal requirement, to ensure you have valid insurance at all times. It is important that when you renew your insurance documents you remember to upload a copy to the CareMatch Portal following the instructions in Section 8.8 of the Care Match Portal User Guide;
If you are experiencing technical issues uploading the documents, please contact market.intelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
Reminder alerts were added to the CareMatch Portal in December 2020 to inform you when your insurance documents were coming up to their expiry date and when they had expired to assist you to remain compliant with your contractual obligations around insurance. For further information about this CareMatch Portal functionality and how to ensure you are receiving these alerts, please review the following previous provider bulletin items on this topic;
No evidence of current insurance cover on the CareMatch Portal at the levels mentioned below will be treated as a breach of contract until evidence of cover is provided
The levels and types of insurance required by the Framework Agreement for the Provision of Home Support for Children and Young People with Disabilities and Home Support for Adults and the Flexible Contracting Arrangements for the Provision of Care Homes With and Without Nursing Services and Care and Support (Supported Living) are as follows;
- Employers Liability (including volunteers) Insurance - to be as a minimum in accordance with statutory legislation (currently £5m)
- Public Liability Insurance (including loss or damage to service user’s personal effects) - Minimum £10m
- For nursing homes only: Professional Indemnity / Treatment Cover, which must be a minimum of £5m and Negligence which must also be a minimum of £5m
Providers are finding the cost of insurance has risen as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and as such it is important you allow enough time for finding an alternative insurance provider, if needed, before your current insurance expires. Please contact your Care Association to see what support and advice they can offer. It is important that you inform you area commissioners if you are having difficulty arranging future cover before the expiry of your current insurance.
Who to contact in the Commissioning Team?
11. Skills for Care updates for registered managers (information for all providers)
A list of upcoming events and new resources which might be of interest to registered managers has been circulated to providers. If you don't have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk