1. Urgent action required - Cost of Care exercise 2022, deadline extended to 17 July 2022 for:
   • Older Adult Care Homes – (Information for Birmingham located care homes with an older adult or dementia service specialism registration)
   • Home Support, Extra Care and Supported Living – (Information for all home support, supported living and extra care sheltered housing providers).
2. Update guidance: Hospital Discharge and community support guidance (information for all providers)
3. Reminder: 21 days to go to the Commonwealth Games – Planning ahead for the Commonwealth Games road closures 28 July to 8 August 2022 (information for all providers)
4. Reminder consultation: Draft Birmingham and Solihull Dementia Strategy 2022 to 2027. Please respond by 15 July 2022 (information for all Birmingham providers)
5. Reminder: Changes to Commissioning response to PPE, workforce, and other Coronavirus issues information updated on the Capacity Tracker (information for all providers)
6. Birmingham Community Healthcare (BCHC) Support to Care Homes Core Competency Framework Programme (Information for Birmingham Care Homes)
7. Birmingham Community Healthcare (BCHC) Bowel and Bladder Management interactive educational session 14 July 2022 at 2pm (information for Birmingham care homes)
8. Changes to the Capacity Tracker – questions removed (information for all providers)
9. Official Launch of the Integrated Care System for Birmingham (information for all providers)
10. The Care Homes IPC Service Shortlisted for the Nursing Times Awards 2022 (information for Birmingham care homes)
11. Care Quality Commission (CQC) – updated Infection Prevention and Control tool (information for all providers)
12. Care Quality Commission (CQC) Update to Duty of Candour guidance (information for all providers)

1. Cost of Care exercise 2022, deadline extended to 17 July 2022

The deadline for cost of care submissions has been extended to 17 July 2022.

We want to remind you that this is the single greatest opportunity the care market has had to influence how social care is funded in the future.

It is of great concern that we have only received a very small number of submissions. Of the care homes eligible to complete the exercise, only 54% have registered to use the CareCubed FCoC tool.

We also want to remind providers who are currently contracted to the Council, that completion of this exercise is a contractual requirement, and that failure to engage with the process will be considered a breach of contract.

The Local Government Association has added responses to the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) from providers, local authorities, and partners.

View the Fair Cost of Care FAQs

Read our full instructions on how to register with CareCubed FCoC

If you have further questions, please contact us at costofcare@birminghamg.gov.uk

2. UPDATED GUIDANCE Hospital discharge and community support guidance (information for all providers)

This guidance sets out how health and care systems should support the safe and timely discharge of people who no longer need to stay in hospital. A call-out box has been added to the guidance to explain that Section 91 of the Health and Care Act comes into force on 1 July 2022, introducing a new duty for NHS trusts and foundation trusts to involve patients and carers (including young carers) in discharge planning.

Read the Hospital discharge and community support guidance on GOV.UK

3. Reminder - 21 days to go to the Commonwealth Games - Planning ahead for the Commonwealth Games road closures 28 July 2022 to 8 August 2022 (information for all providers)

During the Commonwealth Games to be held in Birmingham this summer (28 July 2022 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.

A ‘Get set for the Games’ briefing has been circulated to providers - if you don't have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk

Please ensure business continuity plans are reviewed and updated as needed.

The Commonwealth games website gives details about road closures and parking restrictions for all the venues and events.

Hotspot grids have also now been produced showing the busiest areas in the city by, time of day and types of transport.

How could my area be affected?

4. Reminder consultation - Draft Birmingham and Solihull Dementia Strategy 2022 to 2027. Please respond by 15 July 2022 (information for all Birmingham providers)

We would like to hear about your views regarding whether the right priorities and goals have been identified to help to improve the lives of people with dementia and those who look after them in the Draft Birmingham and Solihull Dementia Strategy 2022 to 2027.

Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board (ICB), Birmingham City Council, and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council have joined forces, to collaborate with stakeholders including statutory, voluntary, and third-sector organisations.

Over, the last year we have asked people with dementia, their carer, and other health and social care colleagues, what the focus should be to improve the care and support we provide to people, from activities aimed at preventing dementia, through to care at the end of people’s lives.

This strategy is a plan that will hold everyone working in health and social care accountable for the improvements we will make over the next five years.

Share your views about the Dementia Strategy 2022 to 2027

5. Reminder - Changes to Commissioning response to PPE, workforce, and other Coronavirus issues information updated on the Capacity Tracker (information for all providers)

As we move further towards business as usual, Birmingham City Council Area Commissioners will no longer contact Birmingham providers about low reports or PPE, workforce issues, or “other Coronavirus issues”. Please continue to update this information at the frequency requested by the Department of Health and Social Care as it will continue to be reviewed nationally and locally for strategic purposes.

However, if you have any immediate operational concerns about workforce issues or other Coronavirus related issues, please contact your Area Commissioner as soon as possible – this advice applies to both contracted and non-contracted Birmingham providers.

View the contact details of who your Area Commissioners

Please continue to order your regular Covid-19 related PPE stock from the national portal. If you do become in urgent need of PPE, this can still be requested from the Council on the following number for the time being; 0121 796 2577.

To reduce the burden on providers a number of questions will be removed or amended from the following sections:

6. Birmingham Community Healthcare (BCHC) Support to Care Homes Core Competency Framework Programme (information for Birmingham care homes)

This programme has been designed to provide Care Homes with a training and competency framework.

The training will provide you with the skills to complete general healthcare tasks and supply you with a framework to guide and record your competency and is available from the Birmingham Support to Care Homes team.

The support to Care Homes team has developed a short video to explain the Care Homes Project Echo

Watch the Care Homes Project Echo video

For more information about the framework programme, please email: marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk

7. Birmingham Community Healthcare (BCHC) Bowel and Bladder Management interactive educational session 14 July 2022 2pm (information for Birmingham care homes)

Join the BCHC Support to Care Home Team for an interactive educational session on bowel and bladder management on 14 July 2022 at 2pm.

The learning objectives are:

• Gain an understanding of the Bladder and Bowel service
• Have a greater understanding of Legislation, Accountability, Consent, and documentation
• To understand reasons for catherterisation, factors to consider, risk and catheter selection

Key speaker: Jodi Carter - BCHC Bowel and Bladder Nurse Specialist

To register your free place or learn more email: bchc.carehomeseducation@nhs.net

8. Changes to the Capacity Tracker – questions removed (information for all providers)

To reduce the burden on providers a number of questions were removed or amended in the following sections on 4 July 2022:

Costs, Vacancies and Business Continuity (Daily)

• 'PPE' section - This will change to a simple Yes/No question with the dropdown menu being removed

IPC Funding (Weekly)

• Visiting - The total number of questions is being reduced with a number being removed and some being merged
• Staff Testing - All questions will be removed

National Capacity Tracker

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.

9. Official Launch of the Integrated Care System for Birmingham (information for all providers)

Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System (ICS) formally became a statutory body on 1 July 2022 taking on responsibility for planning to meet local health needs, allocating resources to NHS partners, ensuring that services are in place to deliver against ambitions, and overseeing delivery of improved outcomes for the 1.3 million population of Birmingham and Solihull.

The ICB will lead the health element of the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System (ICS), which brings together the local NHS, councils, and the voluntary, community, and faith sector to achieve better outcomes for citizens across the area.

Together, all of the ICS’ partner organisations will work in collaboration, building further on what has been achieved through integrated working so far, to make Birmingham and Solihull the healthiest place to live and work, driving equity in life chances and health outcomes for everyone.

To mark the launch, a new YouTube video called, Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System has been created showcasing many of the achievements made possible through system working, including progress in elective recovery, innovation in general practice, and addressing inequity in access for maternity services and more.

Find out more about Birmingham and Solihull ICS through their website

10. The Care Homes IPC Service Shortlisted for the Nursing Times Awards 2022 (information for Birmingham care homes)

Following the hard work to push the commissioning and funding of the Care Homes Infection, Prevention, Control (IPC) Service back in December 2020, we are delighted to announce the service’s shortlisting for the Nursing Times Awards 2022. The Service played a significant part in care home Covid response during the pandemic, reducing the number, severity, and mortality of Covid outbreaks.

Today the service continues to deliver so many important benefits to our residents and staff working in our care homes. To be shortlisted is a testament and recognition to the team at Birmingham Community Healthcare who have worked tirelessly with our care homes to secure improvement. Well done and good luck for the next stage of the process.

11. Care Quality Commission (CQC) – updated Infection Prevention and Control tool (information for all providers)

The CQC have updated the Infection Prevention and Control information gathering tool for care homes in response to the recent review of national COVID-19 infection prevention and control guidance by the Department of Health and Social Care.

They have retained the same format as the existing tool, but the content has been broadened to consider transmissible community infections more generally and move away from a focus on COVID-19.

For more information, please visit; Infection prevention and control in care homes - Care Quality Commission (cqc.org.uk)

12. Care Quality Commission (CQC) Update to Duty of Candour guidance (information for all providers)

The CQC have updated their Duty of Candour guidance to clarify how the term ‘unexpected or unintended’ should be applied when trying to define whether or not something qualifies as a notifiable safety incident. This is following a number of queries received on this area.

The revision to the guidance can be found within the section titled ‘Duty of Candour – Notifiable Safety Incidents’.

View examples of notifiable safety incidents (duty of candour)