What's New Bulletin 174 - 7 December 2023
This is edition 174 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. PLEASE READ Upcoming Home Support Tender - Home Support and Quick Discharge Service Recommissioning Update (information for all home support providers)
2. Care Homes Market Intelligence Questionnaire (MIQ) – December 2023 – DEADLINE 22 December 2023 (information for all Birmingham and contracted care homes)
3. UPDATED GUIDANCE Free personal protective equipment (PPE) scheme (information for all providers
4. Care Quality Commission (CQC) International recruitment policy position (information for all providers)
5. Care Quality Commission (CQC) Smiling matters: oral health in care homes - new podcast episode (information for all care homes)
6. Birmingham and Solihull Nurses and Clinical Leads Network for Nurses working in social care recording (information for Birmingham and Solihull care homes)
7. IPC Champions Network Meeting 14 December 2023 (information for Birmingham Care Homes)
8. Communicate 2U and Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board (BSol ICB) Rethink communication event - 18 January 2024 (information for providers supporting citizens with learning disabilities)
9. NHS England funded Resilience Based Clinical Supervision programme (RBCS) (information for all nurses within social care settings)
1. PLEASE READ Upcoming Home Support Tender - Home Support and Quick Discharge Service Recommissioning Update (information for all home support providers)
The Council’s proposed Commissioning and Procurement Strategies for the recommissioning of home support and quick discharge services are due to be discussed by the Council’s Cabinet on 12 December 2023. The report can be accessed via the link below and takes into account the feedback we had from the provider, citizen and stakeholder engagement events and activity during October:
Decision details: Home Support and Quick Discharge Services
2. Care Homes Market Intelligence Questionnaire (MIQ) – December 2023 – DEADLINE 22 December 2023 (information for all Birmingham and contracted care homes)
Please find the link to the December monthly MIQ below:
the deadline for completion is Friday 22 December 2023. This is the shorter monthly version of the questionnaire. Details of the questions are included in a briefing that has been circulated to providers. If you don't have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
Please take special care when answering the question on the main reason each of your residents needs care. Only count one reason for each resident (the primary one). The total number of reasons should equal the total number of residents on the day you complete the questionnaire.
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 previous questionnaires. If this did not include your care home, please ensure that you complete the December 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 is a shorter monthly questionnaire, a slightly longer quarterly questionnaire with some additional questions, and a slightly longer still annual questionnaire.
Further information about our approach and how the data we are asking for will be used and a PDF version of the questionnaire have been circulated to providers. If you don't have copies, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
3. UPDATED GUIDANCE Free personal protective equipment (PPE) scheme (information for all providers)
This guidance covers the provision of free PPE for all health, social care and public sector workers for COVID-19 infection control, between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2024. The ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ has been updated to move ‘eye protectors, visor’ to the list of out-of-stock items.
The full guidance can be found below:
Free personal protective equipment (PPE) scheme
4. Care Quality Commission (CQC) International recruitment policy position (information for all providers)
The CQC have recently published a regulatory policy position on modern slavery and unethical international recruitment. In it the CQC make clear that such practices are illegal and are incompatible with their values.
CQC regulatory policy position
Joyce Frederick, Director of Policy and Strategy, and Rebecca Bauers, Director for people with a learning disability and autistic people, have written a joint blog to introduce the policy position.
Joyce Frederick and Rebecca Bauers joint blog
Read the policy position below:
Read the blog here;
5. Care Quality Commission (CQC) Smiling matters: oral health in care homes - new podcast episode (information for all care homes)
Listen to the latest episode of the podcast, CQC Connect. Looking back at the Smiling Matters progress report, published earlier this year, the CQC talk to Dr David Shiers. His daughter’s experience in her residential home prompted his work to highlight the importance of oral health for people with a severe mental illness.
Smiling Matters progress report
David is joined by the manager of the home where his daughter now lives. Hear about an interesting example of how healthcare has been provided to care home residents in Salford, and also speak with dentistry, health, and adult social care colleagues from CQC.
You can share your experience and ideas on this topic too via the CitizenLab platform.
6. Birmingham and Solihull Nurses and Clinical Leads Network for Nurses working in social care recording (information for Birmingham and Solihull care homes)
The Birmingham and Solihull Nurses and Clinical Leads Network for Nurses working in social care met on 30 November 2023 and had a very informative meeting. There were many interesting presentations delivered.
The network is a unique platform that brings together nurses working in social care across Birmingham and Solihull, providing a valuable opportunity for nurses to connect, share ideas and knowledge, and receive support and guidance from peers.
In addition to providing a space for peer-to-peer support and best practice sharing, our forum offers both national and regional updates, ensuring nurses stay up-to-date with the latest developments. They also provide a platform for Continuing Professional Development (CPD), helping our members to enhance their skills, knowledge, and expertise, and take their careers to the next level.
The recording is available below;
Nurses and Clinical Leads Network (wmca.care) Recordings
The date for the next virtual meeting is Thursday 21 March 2024 and booking details can be found below;
Nurses and Clinical Leads Network (wmca.care)
7. IPC Champions Network Meeting 14 December 2023 (information for Birmingham Care Homes)
The next care homes IPC Champions Network meeting will take place on 14 December 2023 between 9.30am and 11am. The meeting will cover a range of current Infection Prevention Control topics and include some festive fun (all related to IPC of course!). There will also be the chance for you to ask questions and discussion topics which are of interest to you. You can join the online meeting by using the below link and we look forward to seeing as many current of potential new Champions at the meeting:
Join on your computer, mobile app or room device
Click here to join the meeting
8. Communicate 2U and Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board (BSol ICB) Rethink communication event - 18 January 2024 (information for providers supporting citizens with learning disabilities)
Accessible and inclusive communication is an integral part of the 20 LeDeR priorities to improve the experiences of people with a learning disability (PWLD), their families and carers when accessing health and social care.
You are invited to a service-user led, free interactive workshop to help staff to identify the cultural patterns of communication with people with a learning disability within their settings. The event is scheduled for Thursday 18 January 2024 at 9:30am – 1:00pm at The Auditorium, 10 Woodcock Street, Aston, Birmingham, B7 4BL.
To register for the event, email:nhsbsolicb.leder@nhs.net
9. NHS England funded Resilience Based Clinical Supervision programme (RBCS) (information for all nurses within social care settings)
The Foundation of Nursing Studies (FoNS) are delighted to be launching a RBCS programme specifically for nurses across England in all social care settings. The programme will be delivered virtually to a group of participants (Champions), using MS Teams, by FoNS facilitators.
The programme involves:
Recommended pre-work (up to 1 hour)
Sessions 1-3 (3 hours each) – around one week apart. These sessions will focus on both the principles underpinning RBCS and the practice of RBCS
Sessions 4-5 (2 hours each) – around one month apart. These sessions will focus on the practice of RBCS and the cascade of RBCS within your organisation
The total commitment is approximately 15 hours per participant, including pre-work, group work, reflection and evaluation
Want to find out more?/strong>
- Contact rbcs.socialcare@fons.org for an informal discussion and to find out more about the programme