What's New Bulletin 157 - 10 August 2023
This is edition 157 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. REMINDER Cost of Care 2023 exercise launch - Action Required deadline 3 September 2023 (Contracted home support, care home, supported living and extra care providers located in Birmingham and the West Midlands region)
2. REMINDER Care Homes Market Intelligence Questionnaire (MIQ) – August 2023 – DEADLINE 18 August 2023 (information for all Birmingham and contracted care homes)
3. Help shape the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 2023-24 campaign activity: Seeking provider feedback (information for all providers)
4. Social Care Nursing Advisory Council (information for all care homes)
5. Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) Blogwatch: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Caring for the carers (information for all providers)
6. REMINDERBirmingham City Council Commissioners geographical forum dates (information for all Birmingham and contracted providers)
7. REMINDER Help in Brum – Help for vulnerable people in short-term crisis with food and essential items (information for all providers)
8. Free training for staff to help them support people over 65 to improve their digital skills (information for all care providers based in Birmingham or within 20 miles of the city)
9. IPC Champions Forum - Friday 8th September - Bookings Open Now (All Birmingham care home providers)
1. REMINDER Cost of Care 2023 exercise launch - Action Required deadline 3 September 2023 (Contracted home support, care home, supported living and extra care providers located in Birmingham and the West Midlands region)
On the 18 July 2023 we launched our 2023 cost of care exercise. As in previous years the exercise requires you to submit a range of data in relation to the costs of delivering care and support services. The data we gather helps the Council understand costs across the care market and informs the fees we pay. We will not share your individual data without your permission, but we will aggregate the data received and will publish the outputs of the analysis ensuring anonymity.
Please submit your cost of care templates to costofcare@birmingham.gov.uk in advance of the deadline – 11.59pm Sunday 3 September 2023.
If you need to ask a question, please email costofcare@birmingham.gov.uk
Home Support exercise – all locations holding a 2019 home support framework agreement must complete the exercise, which is a contractual requirement.
You are required to complete 2 cost of care templates – 1) the Home Care Costing Tool Tab I. – Standard (Cost +) only; and 2) the Home Support CoC 2023 Additional data template. Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
Submission deadline to costofcare@birmingham.gov.uk - 11.59pm Sunday 3 September 2023.
Care homes – all contracted care homes located in Birmingham or in the West Midlands region (Coventry, Dudley, Herefordshire, Sandwell, Shropshire, Solihull, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and Wrekin, Walsall, Warwickshire, Wolverhampton, Worcestershire) must complete the exercise, which is a contractual requirement.
We are seeking to collect a reduced amount of data compared to previous years and so you are only required to complete 1 template – the Care Home CoC 2023 Additional data template. Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
Submission deadline to costofcare@birmingham.gov.uk - 11.59pm Sunday 3 September 2023.
Supported Living and Extra Care – all contracted locations in Birmingham or in the West Midlands region (Coventry, Dudley, Herefordshire, Sandwell, Shropshire, Solihull, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and Wrekin, Walsall, Warwickshire, Wolverhampton, Worcestershire) must complete the exercise, which is a contractual requirement.
We are seeking to collect a reduced amount of data compared to previous years and so are only required to complete 1 template – the Supported Living and Extra Care CoC 2023 Additional data template. Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
Submission deadline to costofcare@birmingham.gov.uk - 11.59pm Sunday 3 September 2023.
Thank you in advance for your participation and timely submissions.
2. REMINDER Care Homes Market Intelligence Questionnaire (MIQ) – August 2023 – DEADLINE 18 August 2023 (information for all Birmingham and contracted care homes)
Please find the link to the August monthly MIQ below. - the deadline for completion is Friday 18 August. Care Homes that returned an MIQ in July will be sent the link to the email addresses provided also.
Completion of the questionnaire is part of the terms of our current contracts for contracted providers, but we ask all Birmingham providers to take part in the process to help us meet our Care Act responsibilities to all Birmingham citizens.
Many thanks to staff at the 138 care homes who completed the July questionnaire. If this did not include your care home, please ensure that you complete the August and subsequent editions. We are looking at ways to publish this data back to the provider market after we have collected a few months data and will inform you through this bulletin how it will be shared.
The purpose of the questionnaire is to collect information to assist our market shaping and development role, the production of our Market Position Statements, fulfil our Care Act duties around ensuring a quality and sustainable market, to help us direct resources, identify areas of risk, and monitor progress towards our strategic aims. It has been co-produced with health colleagues to reduce duplication in data collection, and has been streamlined so that we are only collecting information that is not available to us from elsewhere e.g. the Capacity Tracker.
We will only be collecting data that we will use and at the frequency we need it. There will be a shorter monthly questionnaires, a slightly longer quarterly questionnaire with some additional questions, and a slightly longer still annual questionnaire.
Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
3. Help shape the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 2023-24 campaign activity: Seeking provider feedback (information for all providers)
Over the next few months, the CQC will be working with Healthwatch England (HWE) to encourage more people to send feedback on their experiences of health and social care.
Their focus is on people more likely to experience poorer care and inequalities, such as:
- autistic people and people with a learning disability.
- people from ethnic minority communities.
- people experiencing economic and social deprivation.
- disabled people with physical or sensory impairments.
The CQC are particularly interested in the role of health and social care providers and want to put greater emphasis on how staff welcome and use feedback. They will use the information they gather to show how the whole system is working collectively to take steps to improve care across England.
The CQC want providers to feedback using the link below. It's key that they get your insight as it'll help shape the design of our campaign, visuals and messaging.
Share your feedback here;
Project • Help shape our 2023-24 campaign activity: Seeki... (citizenlab.co)
4. Social Care Nursing Advisory Council (information for all care homes)
The Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care, Deborah Sturdy, has worked with colleagues at NHS England and across all 42 local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) in England, to establish (seelink below). These councils will help provide a better understanding to Directors of Nursing in ICBs of nursing in adult social care, as well as insight into the wider adult social care sector.
.social care nursing advisory councils (SCNACs)
This is an exciting opportunity for nurses working in adult social care to inform local understanding and recognition of their profession. The SCNAC Chairs have already participated in a full and beneficial Florence Nightingale Foundation training programme. They are also forming their Councils and Networks with their Chief Nurse.
Please click below for information and contact details;
Social Care Nursing Advisory Councils. - The Outstanding Society
5. Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) Blogwatch: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Caring for the carers (information for all providers)
NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) published guidance on supporting adult carers in 2020 (see link below). This advice remains relevant and timely today.
The guidance seeks to improve the lives of carers, and the cared for, by helping care colleagues identify needs and, then, signpost to services and resources which can help them to live and care well. Chief Nurse, Deborah Sturdy endorses NICE’s recommendations in her latest blog
Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care, Deborah Sturd
Visit the Social Care blog for the latest posts here;
6. REMINDERBirmingham City Council Commissioners geographical forum dates (information for all Birmingham and contracted providers)
Please visit the web page below for the list of upcoming area forums with your area commissioners. The forums are an opportunity for care providers to discuss and engage with their area commissioners, other providers and partners on a range of topics as well as sharing good news stories and good practice.
Invites and agenda’s will be circulated prior to the meeting. Please contact your area commissioner if you would like to suggest a future agenda item. Contact details are available on the link above.
7. REMINDER Help in Brum – Help for vulnerable people in short-term crisis with food and essential items (information for all providers)
Please share the below information with staff and service users as appropriate.
Help in Brum is the council’s support for people in Birmingham who are in need of help due to cost of living crisis. The council has information and support offers around a number of areas with full information on the Council's website below. It can help people who want help accessing grants and debt advice, support getting all the money they are entitled to or simply wanting to know more about the government’s support measures.
Cost of living support | Birmingham City Council
8.Free training for staff to help them support people over 65 to improve their digital skills (information for all care providers based in Birmingham or within 20 miles of the city)
AbilityNet, in partnership with BT, are providing free training to staff in organisations which support people over the age of 65 in the Birmingham area (or within 20 miles of the city), who need help to improve their digital skills.
The AbilityNet trainer will deliver the sessions in English but can help to aid understanding in Punjabi, Urdu or Potwari.
Detailed information can be found on the following webpage link:
abilitynet.org.uk/free-tech-support-and-info/digital-skills-training-people-over-65
9. IPC Champions Forum - Friday 8th September - Bookings Open Now (All Birmingham care home providers)
The following message has been sent on behalf of Infection Prevention and Control Care Homes Team.
The IPC Care Team will be holding a forum for our existing IPC Champions at:
The Saffron Centre, Friday 8th September, 9:00am – 12:30pm
Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
Spaces for the event are limited, please book early ensure your place by supplying the following information to David.sewell@nhs.net or by phone at 0121 466 6708
Bookings will only be confirmed upon receipt of the following:
Name:
Surname:
Care Home:
Job Role:
Contact Number/Email:
Please note at present we can only offer 1-2 spaces per home, further slots may become available closer to the date.
Light refreshments will be served in the morning, every effort will be made to label food clearly. If you have any food allergies please notify the team in your email.
Free parking will be available on the morning of this event.
How To Get There
This is a free event held in conjunction with Birmingham City Council.