What's New Bulletin 161 - 07 September 2023
This is edition 161 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.
- Message from Councillor Mariam Khan, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care: Birmingham City Council Section 114 report Local Government Finance Act (information for all Birmingham City Council contracted providers)
- Care Homes Market Intelligence Questionnaire (MIQ) – September 2023 – DEADLINE 22 September 2023 (information for all Birmingham and contracted care homes)
- REMINDER Autumn COVID-19 Campaign update (information for all Birmingham providers)
- Message from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) Vaccination data fields will be available in Capacity Tracker from the 20th September 2023 (information for all providers)
- NEW GUIDANCE COVID-19 vaccination: autumn programme resources (information for all providers)
- CONSULTATION Still time to give your views on learning disability and autism training for health and social care workers - deadline 19 September 2023 (information for all providers)
- REMINDER Yellow Heat-Health Alert (information for all providers)
1. Message from Councillor Mariam Khan, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care: Birmingham City Council Section 114 report Local Government Finance Act (information for all Birmingham City Council contracted providers)
A letter from Councillor Mariam Khan, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care providing information on the Birmingham City Council’s recent Section 114 report under the Local Government Finance Act has recently been circulated. Further updates will be provided via this bulletin once available.
Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
2.Care Homes Market Intelligence Questionnaire (MIQ) – September 2023 – DEADLINE 22 September 2023 (information for all Birmingham and contracted care homes)
Please find the link to the September monthly MIQ below - the deadline for completion is Friday 22 September 2023.
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 responsibilities to all Birmingham citizens.
Many thanks to staff at the care homes who completed the July & August questionnaires. If this did not include your care home, please ensure that you complete the September and subsequent editions.
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.
Please see attached further information about our approach and how the data we are asking for will be used. A PDF version of the questionnaire is also attached for review in advance of starting to complete the on-line the questionnaire
3.REMINDER Autumn COVID-19 Campaign update (information for all Birmingham providers)
People at greatest risk of serious illness from Covid, including care home residents, over 65s and frontline health and social care workers, are eligible for an autumn vaccine booster.
The following people are eligible for an autumn Covid booster:
- Residents in care homes for older adults
- All adults aged 65 years and over
- People aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical risk group, as defined in tables 3 and 4 of the Covid-19 chapter of the UKHSA Green Book (See link below) on Immunisation.
Covid-19 chapter of the UKHSA Green Book
- Frontline health and social care workers.
- People aged 12 to 64 years who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression as defined in the UKHSA Green Book (see link below),
as defined in the UKHSA Green Book
- People aged 16 to 64 years who are carers, as defined in the UKHSA Green Book (see link below),and staff working in care homes for older adults
as defined in the UKHSA Green Book
This is because the risk of severe Covid continues to be strongly associated with increasing age and underlying health conditions.
When is the booster available and how do I book an appointment?
- Vaccinations will begin on 11 September for those most at risk, including adult care home residents and people who are immunosuppressed.
- From 18 September, the NHS will start to invite people in priority order of risk and those eligible will be able to book an appointment on the National Booking Service.
Why the starting date has been moved forward?
- This year’s autumn flu and Covid-19 vaccine programmes will start earlier than planned in England as a precautionary measure following the identification of a new Covid variant.
- The precautionary measure is being taken as scientists from UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) examine the variant BA.2.86, which was first detected in the UK on Friday 18 August.
- According to the latest risk assessment by the UKHSA, BA.2.86 has a high number of mutations and has appeared in several countries in individuals without travel history.
- While BA.2.86 is not currently classified as a variant of concern, advice from the UKHSA suggests that speeding up the autumn vaccine programme will deliver greater protection, supporting those at greatest risk of severe illness and reducing the potential impact on the NHS.
Why should I get an autumn booster?
- Vaccines help to protect against severe illness, hospitalisations and deaths from Covid.
- People who received an autumn booster vaccine last year were around 53% less likely to go to the hospital with Covid in the two to four weeks after getting vaccinated, compared to those who didn't get a booster.
- Last year's autumn booster programme saw almost 84% of over-80s vaccinated and more than 73% of 65-70-year-olds, protecting the most vulnerable and helping us to live with Covid.
4.Message from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) Vaccination data fields will be available in Capacity Tracker from the 20th September 2023 (information for all providers)
Dear Providers,
Thank you for your continued efforts to submit data through Capacity Tracker.
Capacity Tracker continues to be a vital source to monitor uptake and inform decision making and work undertaken would not have been possible without your information.
As Director of DHSC Adult Social Care Delivery, Claire Armstrong wrote in her letter on 31 August (see below) rollout of this year’s Autumn/Winter Flu and COVID-19 vaccination delivery programme to begin on 11 September. This has been done as a precautionary measure taken to protect the most vulnerable from illness during winter following the identification of COVID-19 variant BA.2.86.
Both care home residents and social care staff will be offered Covid-19 and flu vaccinations and as with previous campaigns and in line with the formal notice (See link below), vaccination data will form part of the mandated collection. This will be the same fields as in previous years. Due to the dates the campaigns start, the first reporting window for this data will be 8 October 2023 to 16 October 2023. It is especially useful for care home managers to update CT immediately following a vaccination team visit. We are adding the questions before the October window to support this.
We encourage all residents and staff to take up their autumn COVID-19 and flu vaccine. Eligible individuals can book and manage their COVID-19 and Flu vaccination appointments online when the service becomes available.
We thank you yet again for your continued support and engagement.
5.NEW GUIDANCE COVID-19 vaccination: autumn programme resources (information for all providers)
This guidance contains an information leaflet and sticker for the COVID-19 autumn vaccination programme that can be shared with service users.
The full guidance can be found here;
COVID-19 vaccination: autumn programme resources
6.CONSULTATION Still time to give your views on learning disability and autism training for health and social care workers - deadline 19 September 2023 (information for all providers)
There is still time to give your views about guidance covering learning disability and autism training for people who work in health and social care.
The Oliver McGowan code of practice sets out how providers of health and social care can make sure their staff receive learning disability and autism training suitable for their role. What you tell the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) about the code of practice will help shape the final version of the code.
The code of practice is named after Oliver McGowan, whose tragic death in 2016 highlighted failures in care that could have been prevented. It is essential that autistic people and people with a learning disability have access to safe, high-quality care.
The consultation is open until 19 September 2023. You can view the consultation documents and respond to the consultation here;
GOV.UK: Consultation - Oliver McGowan draft code of practice
7.REMINDER Yellow Heat-Health Alert (information for all providers)
A Yellow Met Office Heat-Health alert has been issued for the West Midlands and is in effect between 04/09/2023 at 14:00 and 10/09/2023 at 21:00. See link below.
This weather could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services. Please share the following information and attached guidance with your staff, service users, communities and partner networks to help ensure that citizens – particularly those who are most vulnerable – are adequately prepared.
Additional useful links to guidance include:
Translated “Beat the Heat” Posters
BCC guidance on staying safe during heatwaves
NHS guidance on keeoing your baby safe in the sun
guidance on keeping your baby safe in the sun
AGE UK advice for older adults staying safe in hot weather
advice for older adults staying safe in hot weather
UK-AIR daily air pollution forecasts
and
Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk