What's New Bulletin 111 - 15 September 2022
This is edition 111 of the 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.
- Are you or anyone you know interested in a job in Adult Commissioning within Birmingham City Council? (information for all providers)
- Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System vaccination message to Carers in Community Settings – Please help spread the word (information for all Birmingham and Solihull Home Support, Supported Living, Extra Care Sheltered Housing providers)
- REMINDER Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System message re the launch of the autumn/winter COVID/Flu vaccinations (information for all Birmingham and Solihull Care Homes)
- UPDATED GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing for adult social care services (information for all providers)
- REMINDER Care Homes engagement sessions – Provision of Community Equipment in Care Homes 3 and 10 October 2022 (information for all contracted care homes)
- NIHR invites social care professionals and commissioners to participate in research project – closing date 20 October 2022 (information for all providers)
- Improved career options and training for social care colleagues(information for all providers)
- Doctoral Research Project: Care relationship between support workers and people with learning disabilities (information for all Care Home and Supported Living providers)
- REMINDER Please ensure your current insurance documents are uploaded to the CareMatch Portal (information for all Birmingham City Council contracted providers)
1. Are you or anyone you know interested in a job in Adult Commissioning within Birmingham City Council? (information for all providers)
Birmingham City Council Adult Social Care are recruiting to a number of roles across commissioning. Please see the list of opportunities on the site below. We would be grateful if you would share the link with your networks.
2. Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System vaccination message to Carers in Community Settings – Please help spread the word (information for all Birmingham and Solihull Home Support, Supported Living, Extra Care Sheltered Housing providers)
Please share the below message with your staff and any other paid and non-paid carers you are aware of to help spread the message;
Our community based health and care staff are really important to us all. They enable people to be as fit and as well as they can be in a community setting, and support citizens to retain their independence for as long as possible. Our cared for citizens in our communities need to be protected from avoidable illnesses throughout the winter. One of the best ways of achieving protection for those we care for is for their carers to be vaccinated against flu and COVID this winter. If we all take a vaccination we can stop the people we care for going into hospital and being affected by flu and COVID, which if caught can lead to serious complications, such as pneumonia, heart attacks and acute respiratory distress.
Let’s work together to stop that from happening.
Everyone who works in a paid or unpaid carer role or a health care role can access a vaccine for COVID and flu this winter across 89 primary care Birmingham and Solihull sites with accessible opening times to suit everyone. You may be able to get flu and COVID vaccinations at the same time or separately but it is important that you have both vaccinations to provide maximum protection for all.
The national website provides access and booking details across Birmingham and Solihull. And remember to book as a carer so that we can see how well we are doing at protecting our citizens.
Book or manage a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Sites are also listed on the BSol website.
Getting a COVID vaccination in Birmingham and Solihull
Booking on the NBS website is open for health and care staff to book directly
COVID vaccination booking systems
Thank you for caring and thank you for supporting our more vulnerable citizens to stay as well as they can be this winter.
3. REMINDER Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System message re the launch of the autumn/winter COVID/Flu vaccinations (information for all Birmingham and Solihull Care Homes)
Information from the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System has been circulated to providers, around the rolling out the flu and vaccination programme in Birmingham and Solihull from the 5 September 2022. If you don't have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
In summary the ask is for care homes to;
Please commence the consenting process as soon as you can for flu and covid (Mid-August). The consent forms can be found below:
COVID-19 vaccination: consent forms and letters for care home residents - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Encourage all of your staff to take up a flu and covid vaccination (started 5 September 2022)
Email our COVID inbox with any queries on BSOLCovid-19VaccinationSVOC@uhb.nhs.uk
Further detail on consenting can be found in the care home operational guidance and is listed below for ease of reference:
Older Adult Care Home operational guidance (slide 7)
Non-Older Adult operational guidance (slide 11)
4. UPDATED GOVERNMENT 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. A care home outbreak testing for COVID-19 flowchart has been added in line with the pause to routine asymptomatic testing.
The full guidance can be found below:
Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing for adult social care services
5. REMINDER Care Homes engagement sessions – Provision of Community Equipment in Care Homes 3 and 10 October 2022 (information for all contracted care homes)
Schedule 13 “Birmingham Guidance for Provision of Community Equipment in Care Homes” as aligned to the “Care Homes and Supported Living – Flexible Contracting Arrangement” is being reviewed by the Commissioning Team in conjunction with the Birmingham Community Equipment Loan Service(BCELS).
Two engagement sessions have been arranged for Care Homes with the intention of highlighting:
- Changes to the Provision of Community Equipment Schedule
- Additions such as a ‘Continuing Health Care’ section
- Additions such as an ‘Out of Scope’ section (so there is clarity as to what BCELS can and cannot provide)
- Provide an opportunity to ask questions to officers from BECLS
Both sessions will be via Microsoft Teams:
- Monday 03 October 2022 10.00 am – 11.30 am
- Monday 10 October 2022 10.00 am – 11.30 am
In order to receive an invite, please email Chris MacAdams (Commissioning Manager) at chris.macadams@birmingham.gov.uk and confirm as to which session you want to attend.
6. NIHR invites social care professionals and commissioners to participate in research project – closing date 20 October 2022 (information for all providers)
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds, supports and delivers health and social care research.
National Institute for Health and Care Research
One of the NIHR programmes is looking for experienced social services commissioners and social care professionals, with an interest in research and evidence-informed decision making, to become members of its funding committee. Closing date 20 October 2022.
Click the link below for information about the role, time commitment, guidance for applicants, and an email contact for any questions:
Social Services Commissioners and Social Care Professionals | NIHR
7. Improved career options and training for social care colleagues (information for all providers)
Hundreds of thousands of training opportunities will be available for social care staff to develop their careers over the next three years as part of the Government’s £500 million support package. This comes as the Workforce Development Fund is confirmed for an additional year (2022 to 2023), offering stability ahead of new and improved training opportunities.
In 2020 to 2021, the fund, financed by the Department of Health and Social Care and administered by Skills for Care, helped more than 14,000 care workers, from more than 2,300 establishments, to progress their careers, despite pandemic pressures.
Find out more information below:
Social care staff to benefit from improved career options and training - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
8. Doctoral Research Project: Care relationship between support workers and people with learning disabilities (information for all Care Home and Supported Living providers)
A former support worker and current PhD candidate in Applied Psychology at the Tizard Centre, University of Kent is conducting research exploring care relationships between support staff and adults with a learning disability (intellectual disability) in social care residential settings in England. The project is funded by the NIHR School for Social Care.
The PhD candidate will be conducting interviews (online or in-person) to hear support staff's (e.g., support workers, personal assistants, etc) views on this research topic. You can find all essential information in the study flyer attached in this email. Below are some key points:
- Looking to recruit support staff (e.g., support workers, care workers, personal assistants, etc) and/or managers/senior staff who also provide direct care to adults with a learning disability. Staff must be based in a learning disability long-term social care residential setting in England (e.g., care home, supported living, domiciliary care, etc).
- Participants to receive £10 payment for taking part in the interview (subject to eligibility to take part in interview).
- Confidentiality will be maintained throughout unless there are safeguarding concerns.
- All data will be anonymised/pseudonymised to ensure that participants, services, or other people cannot be identified.
- Participation is completely voluntary and doesn't affect employment in any way.
- Participation or otherwise will not be revealed to support staff's employer.
If you are interested in taking part or require more information, please contact Georgios Mamolis: gm518@kent.ac.uk
9. 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.