What's New Bulletin 133 - 23 February 2023
This is edition 133 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.
1.Changes to the Capacity Tracker data collection (information for all providers)
2.REMINDER It's never too late to get vaccinated for COVID-19 and flu (information for all providers)
3.REMINDER Managing Deterioration in Learning Disability Homes 27 February 2023 2 - 3pm Virtual Event (information for West Midlands younger adult care homes)
4.REMINDER NHS England Bitesize sessions on Urinary Catheter Care to improve outcomes for patients 2 March 2023 (information for all nursing homes)
5.REMINDER The Birmingham and Solihull Nurses and Clinical Leads Network 9 March 2023 (information for Birmingham and Solihull care homes)
6.REMINDER The Managers Conference 2023 13-14 March 2023 (information for all providers)
7.REMINDER NHS mail Weekly Drop-in Sessions, Hosted by The NHS mail team at NHS Digital (information for all providers)
8.REMINDER Please ensure your current insurance documents are uploaded to the CareMatch Portal (information for all Birmingham City Council contracted providers)
9.Birmingham and Solihull strategic visions for Learning Disabilities and Autism – February 2023 (information for all providers)
1. Changes to the Capacity Tracker data collection (information for all providers)
Please note the questions about the Autumn 2022 Covid booster will be removed from the Capacity Tracker shortly. For further information, please Item 4 of our previous Bulletin;
If you require any assistance with refreshing or updating your information, please just call the Support Centre on 0191 691 3729 (Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm) or send an email necsu.capacitytracker@nhs.net.
2. REMINDER It's never too late to get vaccinated for COVID-19 and flu (information for all providers)
Book appointments via the National Booking Service and visit the NHS website to Find your nearest pharmacy offering free flu jabs. To promote vaccination to care colleagues, visit the Campaign Resource Centre for free leaflets, posters and social media content.
Find your nearest pharmacy offering free flu jabs
There is more we can all do to protect our health as the weather changes. The Stay Well this Winter leaflet for 2022/23 is also available to download. This helpful resource provides health information and guidance on how to stay well over the winter months.
Download the Stay Well This Winter leaflet below;
Stay Well This Winter | Campaign Resource Centre (phe.gov.uk)
3. REMINDER Managing Deterioration in Learning Disability Homes 27 February 2023 2 - 3pm Virtual Event (information for West Midlands younger adult care homes)
This event is being organised by the West Midlands Academic Health Science Network (WMAHSN). The event focusses on people with a Learning Disability and autistic people (LeDeR).
Research has shown that on average, people with a learning disability and autistic people die earlier than the general public, and do not receive the same quality of care as people without a learning disability or who are not autistic. Improving the recognition and management of people with a Learning Disability and autistic people through the introduction of Deterioration management tools can really make a difference to the outcomes of this vulnerable group of people.
We invite Learning Disability Care Homes as well as Care Homes with Learning Disability residents in the West Midlands region to join us in refresher training on our online training on testing approaches, tools and methodologies that help in improving health outcomes for residents with Learning Disabilities.
The session will include tools designed to help staff to spot the early soft signs of deterioration, escalate concerns and improve timely intervention. Please extend this invitation to as many staff within your organisation or to partner organisations, as well as people who you feel would benefit from this training session.
To book a place for the event, please use the link below:
Managing deterioration in Learning Disability Homes - 27 February 2023
Registrants will receive a diary invitation approximately 2 working days before the event. If you have not received your link by then, please contact laura.mould@wmahsn.org
4. REMINDER NHS England Bitesize sessions on Urinary Catheter Care to improve outcomes for patients 2 March 2023 (information for all nursing homes)
You can book onto one of the following Urinary Catheter Care Bitesize Sessions using the following link by searching for “Catheter Care”;
Frequently asked questions panel discussion: 2 March 2023 12:00-12:30pm
5. REMINDER The Birmingham and Solihull Nurses and Clinical Leads Network 9 March 2023 (information for Birmingham and Solihull care homes)
Birmingham and Solihull Nurses and Clinical Leads Network for Nurses working in Social Care would like to invite registered nurses to the next virtual network meeting for Thursday 9 March 2023 2.00pm to 4.30pm.
The meeting agenda will include relevant clinical nursing issues
- How Hafod Nursing Home have introduced the deterioration tool, practical application, and benefits
- What are Schwartz rounds? How to introduce a Schwartz round. Schwartz Rounds provide a structured forum where all staff, clinical and non-clinical, come together regularly to discuss the emotional and social aspects of working in healthcare.
- Dementia and opioid training resources for care homes
There will be an update from BSOL Integrated Care Board, Skills for Care and West Midlands Care Association on support/resources for nurses.
To find out more about the meeting, and to book your place, follow the link below:
Nurses and Clinical Leads' Network
6. REMINDER The Managers Conference 2023 13-14 March 2023 (information for all providers)
The National Care Forum (NCF) and Skills for Care, in collaboration with ARC England, are holding the Managers Conference from 13-14 March 2023. This conference is designed for managers, with managers.
This event, with overnight accommodation and a full day conference, will champion and support the crucial role managers play in adult social care. It will bring together managers from across the country to share knowledge, ask questions and network with colleagues.
The programme includes panel discussion and practical workshops. Alison Murray, Deputy Director of Adult Social Care at Care Quality Commission, will be speaking at the conference.
Find out more below:
The Managers Conference 2023 (skillsforcare.org.uk)
7. REMINDER NHS mail Weekly Drop-in Sessions, Hosted by The NHS mail team at NHS Digital (information for all providers)
The NHS mail team now offer care providers a weekly drop-in session to support with NHS mail queries. There will be no agenda or slides, this is an open session to give care providers the opportunity to ask questions about NHSmail, directly to the NHSmail team, just pop in, ask your question and leave once you have your answer. No registration is required to attend but please note this session is for care providers only and not those in supportive roles for NHS mail.
Please click on the link below to join the session on the day.
Every Wednesday between 11am and 12pm. Click the link below to join the meeting
8. 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?
9. Birmingham and Solihull strategic visions for Learning Disabilities and Autism – February 2023 (information for all providers)
Improving opportunities for people with learning disabilities, autistic people and their families and carers in Birmingham and Solihull
Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System have agreed the need to create a consistent vision across health and social care to help us focus collectively on the ways in which partners support people with learning disabilities, autistic people and their families and carers. This will help us as partners to prioritise our resources and to co-ordinate our approach to improve the support and outcomes for people with a learning disability and autistic people.
We have worked closely with people with lived experience and partners to develop draft visions for Learning Disabilities and Autism to ensure they reflect the lives and aspirations of our local people. We have completed further engagement with people, including professionals, providers, people with lived experience and parent/carers to help finalise our visions which will then help shape our respective and specific delivery plans in Birmingham and Solihull.
The engagement on the draft visions and proposed priorities started on Monday the 16 January 2023 and will end on Monday the 6 March 2023.
We have held a series of face-to-face events across the city of Birmingham, but we are aware that some people who wished to, may not have been able to attend so we have therefore added an online meeting for Birmingham residents on:
2nd of March 2023 at 18.00 hours to 19.00 hours via Microsoft Teams (links to this meeting are available from the mailbox below)
Book your place here via email: BSLDAengmt@birmingham.gov.uk
Even if you are unable to join us on-line, we would still like to hear your views on our draft visions, proposed priorities and the key actions you think we should be delivering. There are separate surveys for professionals and for members of the public. Easy read versions of the public surveys and strategies are available online now.
You can find the survey links and downloadable documents below on the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board website:
- Autism strategic vision
- Learning Disabilities strategic vision
- Easy Read Autism strategic vision
- Easy Read Learning Disabilities strategic vision
- Learning Disabilities survey for public
- Learning Disabilities Easy Read survey for public
- Autism survey for public
- Autism Easy Read survey for public
Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board website
If you need more information about the surveys, you can contact us by:
Email: contactusbsolics@nhs.net
www.birminghamsolihull.icb.nhs.uk/contact-us
Phone: 0121 203 3300
Thank you for your support.