What's New Bulletin 168 - 26 October 2023
This is edition 168 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 IMPORTANT Schedule 13 Birmingham Guidance for Provision of Community Equipment in Care Homes with and without Nursing for Adults [2023] DEADLINE 27 October 2023 (information for contracted care homes)
2. Health and social care worker seasonal flu & COVID-19 vaccinations (information for all providers)
3. Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) Winter Preparedness and COVID-19 Testing – how to request additional LFD tests (information for all care homes)
4. NHS England Research into social care workers opinions of Covid and Flu Vaccines – have your Say! (information for all providers)
5. Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) survey re setting 2024-25 for NHS-funded Nursing Care (information for all nursing homes)
6. Are staff at your care home using the Birmingham and Solihull Care Home App? (information for all Birmingham & Solihull Care Homes)
7. State of Care – CQC's annual assessment of health care and social care in England (information for all providers)
8. Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) - Home Support and Supported Living Capacity Tracker Webinar 8 November 2023 (information for all home support and supported living providers)
9. Birmingham and Solihull Nurses and Clinical Leads Network for Nurses working in Social Care 30 November 2023 (information for Birmingham and Solihull care homes)
1. REMINDER IMPORTANT Schedule 13 Birmingham Guidance for Provision of Community Equipment in Care Homes with and without Nursing for Adults [2023] DEADLINE 27 October 2023 (information for contracted care homes)
This communication is for the attention of all Care Homes signed up to the following:
Care Homes – Flexible Contracting Arrangement Terms and Conditions [2023]
Some Care Homes have stated that they are unsure of what is meant (it is not clear) within Schedule 13 where it states in ‘Arrangements & responsibilities for provision and maintenance’ that arrangements and responsibilities could be met by more than one organisation.
This would either be CH/BCELS (Care Home or Birmingham Community Equipment Loans Service), CH/CES (Care Home or Community Equipment Services), CH/BCELS/CES (Care Home or Birmingham Community Equipment Loans Service or Community Equipment Services) and CH/SIS (Care Home or Sensory Inclusion Service).
Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
This includes an extract of Schedule 13 Birmingham Guidance for Provision of Community Equipment in Care Homes with and without Nursing for Adults [2023] – this extract includes only those sections where more than one organisation is listed i.e. CH/BCELS.
Please review this extract and if you feel that there is ambiguity and that the wording needs to be reviewed please email your feedback to Chris MacAdams, Commissioning Manager, Commissioning (Regulated Care) at chris.macadams@birmingham.gov.uk
Please ensure that you submit your feedback by Friday 27 October 2023 – thank you.
2. Health and social care worker seasonal flu & COVID-19 vaccinations (information for all providers)
Campaign materials to promote winter vaccinations for eligible frontline healthcare professionals are now available to download from the link beloew. Alternative versions are available with social care branding for use as appropriate.
3. Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) Winter Preparedness and COVID-19 Testing – how to request additional LFD tests (information for all care homes)
Symptomatic testing for residents eligible for COVID-19 treatments and outbreak testing will continue throughout the winter period as detailed in the IPC guidance. To enable the sector to continue to test during this time with no limitations or delay due to replenishing stock, we are giving you the opportunity to request additional stock of COVID-19 LFD tests. The number of tests available will depend on your total bed capacity as registered with the CQC.
You will be able to request your additional stock of COVID-19 tests via the order portal from 20 October 2023 to the 3 November 2023.
Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
4. NHS England Research into social care workers opinions of Covid and Flu Vaccines – have your Say! (information for all providers)
NHS England (NHSE) has commissioned independent researchers, ICE Creates, to explore frontline health and social care workers opinions of Covid and flu vaccines ahead of autumn/winter.
They are looking to identify frontline social care staff who could take part in the research – there is an incentive payment (£30),
Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
The survey runs to mid-November, so if you would like to get involved and share your opinions about the Covid and Flu vaccines, please get in touch with ICE Creates via their contact details.
Register at:
www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/FrontlineStaffRegistrationForm
5. Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) survey re setting 2024-25 for NHS-funded Nursing Care (information for all nursing homes)
DHSC is currently in the process of setting the 2024-2025 rate for NHS-funded Nursing Care (FNC). This is being informed by a one-off cost collection exercise, run via Capacity Tracker. The survey is non-mandatory, but it would be great if as many providers as possible could complete this. They are writing to you now, to give you advance notice that the survey is expected to go live on Wednesday 25 October 2023 and will be open for three weeks.
Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
6. Are staff at your care home using the Birmingham and Solihull Care Home App? (information for all Birmingham & Solihull Care Homes)
Care home staff across Birmingham and Solihull (BSol) have instant access to training, care guidance and additional support services thanks to the HealthZone App, which is free, and has been developed by Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System (ICS). Over 700 care home staff are currently using the app on their smartphones or tablets. If this doesn’t include staff at your care home, please bring this information to their attention.
At the touch of a button, app users can view information on areas such as identifying deterioration, care planning and infection prevention and control. Staff can also book on to in-person and online training and events via the App, read the latest care homes news and bulletins, and access key contact details for relevant essential services. These include enhanced care home health services, social care, community nursing teams, GPs, palliative/hospice services, mental health, urgent community response (UCR), community pharmacy and escalation services.
To access the BSol Care Homes App, search for the ‘HealthZone UK’ App in your App store, download the App and then simply type ‘BSOL’ into the auto search box.
Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
7. State of Care – CQC's annual assessment of health care and social care in England (information for all providers)
Download this year's assessment of health care and social care in England. State of Care looks at the trends, shares examples of good and outstanding care and highlights where care needs to improve.
Read this year's State of Care online
8. Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) - Home Support and Supported Living Capacity Tracker Webinar 8 November 2023 (information for all home support and supported living providers)
The DHSC would like to invite home support and supported living providers to a webinar on Wednesday 8 November 2023 to share important information they hope you will find useful. In particular, information on why the data you share via the Capacity Tracker is important.
At the webinar in June, the DHSC shared information on updating your CQC records, which many of you said was very useful. They would like to share some more insights on that as well as talk with you about the issuing of Notice of Intention and financial penalties.
The DHSC understand that some of you may have concerns about sharing your data as well as about enforcement, but through this session they hope to alleviate those concerns.
The webinar will be held on Microsoft Teams. Please find the joining details below:
Join on your computer, mobile app or room device
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 375 960 411 503 Passcode: LEX9VA
Download Teams | Join on the web
If you have any queries about this webinar, please contact capacitytracker-guidance@dhsc.gov.uk
9. Birmingham and Solihull Nurses and Clinical Leads Network for Nurses working in Social Care 30 November 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 30 November 2023 14.00 to 16.30.
The meeting agenda will include relevant clinical nursing issues;
- Personalised care planning and training
- Update on medicines management , resources for insomnia management
- Monitoring falls ~ Aspery Court
- How the themes and trends of falls management are tracked at Edgbaston Manor
- Introducing new ways of falls monitoring at Connaught House and across the Restful Homes Group
- Update from the Social Care Advisory Board
- Update on dementia and End of Life
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 this link;
Nurses and Clinical Leads Network (wmca.care)
A recording of the September meeting can be accessed here;