1. PLEASE READ REMINDER Home Support Tender - Home Support and Quick Discharge Service Recommissioning Update – Clarification Period extended to 9 May 2024 (information for home support providers
2. Planned Respite Care providers required (information for care homes and supported living providers)
3. Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund 2024/25 – Provider Workforce Survey deadline 12 May 2024 (information for all contracted providers located in Birmingham
4. Fee Increase 2024/25 (information for all BCC contracted providers)
5. Infection Prevention Control (IPC) Service Extension (information for Birmingham Care Homes)
6. Increases to Direct Payments – effective 1 April 2024 (information for all care providers)
7. Request for information - Review of 2 care worker / ‘double-handed’ home support packages of care (information for all contracted home support providers)
8. Adult Social Care Nursing Specialist Practitioner Qualification (SPQ) (information for all nursing homes)
9. REMINDER Support to Care Homes Training May 2024 (information for Birmingham and Solihull care homes)
10. Shared Decision Making and Personalised Care & Support Planning virtual training sessions June 2024 (information for Birmingham and Solihull providers)

1.PLEASE READ REMINDER Home Support Tender - Home Support and Quick Discharge Service Recommissioning Update – Clarification Period extended to 9 May 2024 (information for home support providers)

The Council launched its tender for Home Support and the Quick Discharge Services on 9 April 2024.

As bidders (providers) will be aware from the Council’s tender documentation and communication, any questions about the tender must be submitted via the Questions function in the CareMatch Portal. The responses to which are being published regularly here:

Tender opportunities | Tender opportunities | Birmingham City Council

This update is to inform providers that the tender clarification period has been extended until 9 May 2024. You are therefore encouraged to use the clarification process to raise any questions you have in the next 7 days to ensure you receive a timely response.

Please ensure you follow the more detailed guidance available before logging a clarification - including ensuring you read the tender documentation in full and checking the clarification log for any similar questions prior to logging a new clarification:

PLEASE READ Home Support Tender - Home Support and Quick Discharge Service Recommissioning Update – Tender Now Open (information for home support providers) - Care services providers' bulletin (birmingham.gov.uk)

2. Planned Respite Care providers required (information for care homes and supported living providers)

The Council has received notice of the imminent closure of two respite care homes so we urgently have to find alternative provision for 47 adults funded by Adult Social Care. This is planned respite - defined as the person being cared for is looked after by a registered provider of overnight care in a registered residential setting. Usually, short blocks of consecutive overnight stays several times per year. Respite care is funded for adults with a learning disability, who are autistic, have complex physical support needs, and often with chronic health conditions. The age group is predominantly 18-64.

If you are interested in finding out more about this before submitting an expression of interest you are invited to join us on a Microsoft Teams call on Thursday 9th May, 2-3pm. the link to join the meeting is below:

Planned Respite Care alternative provision

if you are interested in this but are unable to attend at this time, email me: BSLDAengmt@birmingham.gov.uk

3. Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund 2024/25 – Provider Workforce Survey deadline 12 May 2024 (information for all contracted providers located in Birmingham)

Further to the government publication of the Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund 2024 to 2025 guidance - see link below, the Council is required to submit to the DHSC in May 2024 a range of reporting metrics.

Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

In order to comply with the grant conditions the DHSC requires the Council to submit the following workforce data for each contracted Birmingham based CQC registered location:

• Total number of new recruits commencing employment in the month of April 2024
• Total number of employees leaving employment in the month of April 2024

We therefore request that you complete and submit this short survey (via Microsoft Forms) by midnight on Sunday 12 May 2024 so that we can collate the data. Please click on the link below to open the survey:

Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund Workforce Survey

4. Fee Increase 2024/25 (information for all BCC contracted providers)

Further to the bulletin item issued on 14 March 2024 which set out details of the fees payable from 1 April 2024, we hope you find the following clarifications useful.

Care fees | Care fees, invoicing, variations and top ups | Birmingham City Council

Where appropriate the Council will uplift existing packages of care to the rate applicable from 1 April 2024 in our systems which will then be reflected in payments.

Care homes

If you believe individual care packages have not been increased to the current rates and that this has not been reflected in payments then please contact operationalcommissioning@birmingham.gov.uk providing the CareFirst ID numbers of the citizens affected and the care home’s contract reference number. This will enable us to look into the cases and rectify any errors or oversights as appropriate.

Care homes located outside of Birmingham with care packages commissioned at host local authority rates do not receive automatic uplifts – please contact operationalcommissioning@birmingham.gov.uk providing the CareFirst ID numbers of the citizens affected and the care home’s contract reference number, along with evidence of the host local authority’s fees for 2024/25. This will enable us to review individual cases and take appropriate action.

For all other care home payment queries you should contact schadultspayments@birmingham.gov.uk

Home support, supported living and extra care services

Please ensure that you invoice at the correct fee rate and in line with the relevant invoicing schedules. N.B. Invoices for services delivered for period 25/02 between 1 April 2024 and 28 April 2024 should be sent to home.support.payments.team@birmingham.gov.uk by 20 May 2024. You can view the schedules on our website -

Payment schedules and invoicing | Care fees, invoicing, variations and top ups | Birmingham City Council

The previous bulletin item can be found below (item 1);

What's New Bulletin 188 - 14 March 2024 - Care services providers' bulletin (birmingham.gov.uk)

5. Infection Prevention Control (IPC) Service Extension (information for Birmingham Care Homes)

The Council are pleased to confirm that the Infection Prevention Control Service for Birmingham Care Homes has been extended until 31 March 2025.

The team will continue to provide specialist IPC advice to care homes as well as ensuring our growing network of IPC Champions are supported with training and materials to continue to develop their knowledge and skills. They will also continue to provide support during any outbreaks of infectious diseases in care homes.

If you are interested in becoming an IPC Champion or require any other IPC support, please email: ipcdata@nhs.net

Please use the link below to see all of the IPC resources available to care homes:

Infection prevention and control | Infection prevention and control | Birmingham City Council

6. Increases to Direct Payments – effective 1 April 2024 (information for all care providers)

You will be aware that uplifts to care fees and Direct Payments took effect on the 1 April 2024, and the uplifts are variable depending on the type of care service.

• Where citizens are in receipt of a Direct Payment, this has presented some challenges because our current systems do not fully capture extractable data with regards the services Direct Payment recipients are purchasing, particularly where multiple services are being purchased. We have been working to resolve this issue and apply relevant uplifts for Direct Payment recipients as quickly as possible and backdate these to the 1 April 2024.
• Where we have identified that a citizen is using their Direct Payment to purchase services solely from a PA or Care Agency only, the uplift will be applied in mid-May and backdated to the 1 April 2024.
• Where we have identified that a citizen is using their Direct Payment to purchase other and/or multiple services, the uplift will be applied in mid-June and backdated to the 1 April 2024.

We would appreciate your support to ensure that services for Direct Payment recipients continue during this time.

If you become aware that a Direct Payment recipient has not had the uplift applied by the 1st July 2024 then please contact the Council at CSAdultSocialCare@birmingham.gov.uk

7. Request for information - Review of 2 care worker / ‘double-handed’ home support packages of care (information for all contracted home support providers)

Birmingham City Council is currently undertaking detailed social work reviews of all home support care packages which employ 2 workers to deliver the care and support to citizens. The aim of the project is to ensure that the care and support is delivered safely, but also efficiently, in the least intrusive and intensive way, and thereby maximising people’s independence. Where the care and support can be safely delivered, either through redesigned safe systems of work and/or the improved use of equipment, the Council will seek to reduce the number of care workers delivering the care package. Care packages will be reviewed by a multi-disciplinary team of social workers and occupational therapists thereby ensuring that safe delivery of care and support is central to the delivery of outcomes.

This project aims to benefit all parties – the citizen through less intensive and intrusive support and by maximising their independence; the Council through reduced costs; and care providers by having more highly skilled staff and increased capacity to deliver services.

We welcome and acknowledge that care providers already contact the Council when they are of the view that care and support packages could be delivered more efficiently and request that they are changed. We now want to formally encourage any home support providers which are delivering calls with 2 carers to contact us if they are of the view that the care could be delivered more efficiently and with a single carer. The Council will then prioritise the care package for review and work with you to put in place the necessary changes.

You can request a priority review for your 2-care worker home support calls by sending an email to operationalcommissioning@birmingham.gov.uk. Please include ‘2 carer home support call review request’ in the email Subject/Title and provide the citizen CareFirst or Eclipse identification number in the email body/text.

8. Adult Social Care Nursing Specialist Practitioner Qualification (SPQ) (information for all nursing homes)

Specifically written for UK Registered Nurses (Adult) working across community social care, this MSc will provide you with the specialist knowledge and skills you need to lead and manage services across diverse health and social care settings. Within the programme is an option for students to take the V300 Independent and Supplementary prescribing programme for nurses.

The programme is still subject to NMC approval, which is on 18 June 2024.

Adult Social Care Nursing Specialist Practitioner Qualification (SPQ)

Please contact Malaika Eparh, Programme Lead, by email for further information: meparh@ucb.ac.uk

9. REMINDER Support to Care Homes Training May 2024 (information for Birmingham and Solihull care homes)

A poster with details of the Support to Care Homes Team virtual training for the month of May 2024 for all Care Home staff across Birmingham and Solihull Care homes, has been circulated to providers. If you don't have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk

There are valuable informative training sessions this month on;

• Management of Deterioration
• Infection prevention
• Pressure Ulcer prevention
• Falls
• Dementia awareness

The training will be hosted by the Solihull Support to Care homes Team and is open to all Care Home staff across Birmingham and Solihull care homes and joining details can be accessed via the BSol Healthzone Care Home App. For further information please contact Supportto.carehomeservice@uhb.nhs.uk

Instructions on how to download the BSol Healthzone Care Home App have been circulated to providers. If you don't have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk

Please see the previous bulletin item 3 below for further information about the App

What's New Bulletin 184 - 15 February 2024 - Care services providers' bulletin (birmingham.gov.uk)

10. Shared Decision Making and Personalised Care & Support Planning virtual training sessions June 2024 (information for Birmingham and Solihull providers)

Birmingham and Solihull Training Hub are pleased to share the details of two virtual training sessions available;

• Shared Decision Making (SDM) is vital in all health and care services. This training session will explore the benefits of SDM, the key components of SDM conversations, health literacy and how to apply SDM to your daily practice. Wednesday 19th June 2024, 09.30 – 12.30
• Personalised Care and Support Planning (PCSP) is crucial to ensure that patients have an up to date and relevant care plan to support them. This training will cover the benefits of PCSP, what is good PSCP and tools to help with this, the importance of goal setting and how to apply this to your daily practice. Wednesday 26 June 2024, 09.30 – 12.30.

Please register using the link on the poster that has been circulated to providers. If you don't have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk

Please note that this is an interactive session so access to microphones (and preferably cameras) will be required. There are limited spaces available. For more details or information please do not hesitate to contact Katie.russell17@nhs.net (Projects & Partnerships Manager, BSol Training Hub).