What's New Bulletin 198 - 23 May 2024
This is edition 198 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 Home Support Tender - Home Support and Quick Discharge Service Recommissioning Update – Please ensure CareMatch Portal system notifications are on during the evaluation period (information for home support providers)
2. Minister for Care addresses the ADASS Spring Seminar(information for all providers)
3. Social care nursing at the heart of International Nurses Day 2024 (information for all care homes)
4. Unpaid carer’s leave: your right to look after yourself (information for all providers)
5. Care home trial suggests switching to decaf could reduce falls (information for all care homes)
6. Capacity Tracker: Two Year Urgent & Emergency Care (UEC) Recovery Plan (information for all providers)
7. Skills for Care: Registered managers webinar: Understanding your digital requirements under the Single Assessment Framework 11 June 2024 (information for all West Midlands providers)
8. Skills for Care: Moving Up – bookings open June 2024 cohort (information for all West Midland providers)
9. REMINDER Raising awareness about Cancer - Cancer Champions, Talk Cancer Training 5 June 2024 (information for all Birmingham and Solihull providers)
10. REMINDER Shared Decision Making and Personalised Care & Support Planning virtual training sessions June 2024 (information for Birmingham and Solihull providers)
11. The Alzheimer’s & Dementia Show 14 -15 June 2024 (information for all providers)
12. REMINDER Birmingham and Solihull Nurses and Clinical Leads Network for Nurses – update from March 2024 meeting, next meeting 25 June 2024 (information for Birmingham and Solihull care homes)
1. PLEASE READ Home Support Tender - Home Support and Quick Discharge Service Recommissioning Update – Please ensure CareMatch Portal system notifications are on during the evaluation period (information for home support providers)
We are currently in the Evaluation Period of the Home Support and Quick Discharge Tenders as shown on the indicative timetable below;
|
EVENT |
TARGET DATE |
|
Stage 1 - Applications to Join the Flexible Contracting Arrangements (FCA) |
|
|
FCA open for Potential Providers to request to participate |
8 April 2024 |
|
Clarification Period |
10 April – 2 May 2024 |
|
Deadline for receipt of Selection Questionnaire |
Noon 16 May 2024 |
|
Anticipated Evaluation Period |
17 May – 7 June 2024 |
|
Award Approval |
10 – 28 June 2024 |
|
Notification of Contract Award |
1 July 2024 |
|
FCA Standstill Period |
2 – 11 July 2024 |
|
FCA Contract Award |
12 July 2024 |
|
FCA Starts – Individual Contracts |
18 July 2024 |
|
Stage 2: Call Off Contract (individual packages of care) |
July 2024 |
|
Closure of the FCA |
|
|
Anticipated Closing date of the FCA |
July 2029 |
|
Option to extend for a further 2 years subject to performance |
July 2031 |
As stated in section 15.1 of the "Document 001 The Instructions P2170 Document for Potential Suppliers Invitation To Tender (ITT)" This has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
The evaluation of SSQs for the FCA will consider responses and, where requested, written information and evidence provided by the Potential Supplier. All relevant evidence submitted will be evaluated against the selection criteria. Where there are inconsistences in the application, the Council may follow up with a clarification; a time limit will be set for the response and included in the clarification request. It is the Potential Supplier’s responsibility to ensure that any clarifications are received and correctly responded to within the set time frame. For more information see the CareMatch Portal User guide.
You will be able to view this correspondence (referred to as clarification or clarification request in the ITT) in two different formats. The first will be through an email notification, and the second through a correspondence window within the system, as shown in Figure 3.3.1 in the
If you followed Route A (your company or organisation had never previously entered your Owner details into CareMatch Portal) or Route B (your company or organisation had previously entered your Owner details into CareMatch Portal, but has never been awarded a contract and had to use the none CQC route to register as a new Owner) when starting your application, your User account will automatically have “Message Email Notifications” set to YES.
If you followed Route C (added a contract to a Provider that had already been awarded a contract via the CareMatch Portal) or Route D (added a location to an Owner that had already been awarded a contract to a different location via the CareMatch Portal) to start your application, you will have to check that your email notifications are not disabled to ensure you do not miss out on important updates regarding your application. Please refer to Figure 4.5.2 in the Carematch Portal User Guide (See link below) for details on how to check this and ensure RECEIVE MESSAGE EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS" is set to YES for the user that submitted the application.
Email notifications are sent from the following email address; system.notifications@carematchportal.com. Please check your spam/junk email folders for emails from this address.
For further information and guidance please see the following;
User Guide for providers using Care Match Portal | Birmingham City Council
section 3 which describes Routes A-D in further detail, section 3.3 “Procurement Correspondences” and section 4.5 “My Account”
Slides 12, 14, and 15.
A voice over recording of the above slides is also available here;
2. Minister for Care addresses the ADASS Spring Seminar (information for all providers)
Helen Whately, Minister for Care, recently shared her vision for a social care system that builds on existing strengths and is rooted in local communities.
Presented to over 200 leaders at the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), the speech touched on workforce reform, support for unpaid carers, innovation and more.
Read the full speech here;
Minister Whately speech on social care - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
3. Social care nursing at the heart of International Nurses Day 2024(information for all care homes)
Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care, Deborah Sturdy highlights the contribution social care nurses bring to the health and wellbeing of our communities in her latest blog. In response to International Nurses Day on Sunday 12 May, Deborah reflects on this year’s theme of ‘economic power of care’.
Read more here;
Social care nursing at the heart of International Nurses Day 2024 – Social care (blog.gov.uk)
4. Unpaid carer’s leave: your right to look after yourself (information for all providers)
A reminder from the Department of Health and Social Care that employees in any profession, including the social care sector, who are also carers in their personal life, can now take up to five days off within any 12-month period. To better balance work with caring responsibilities, employees can take time off in full or half days, or in a whole block of five.
These strengthened employment rights will help millions of unpaid carers across the UK, allowing individuals to handle the practical aspects of caring and enabling both the carer and the cared for to enjoy more precious moments together.
Find out more here;
Unpaid carer’s leave: your right to look after yourself – Social care (blog.gov.uk)
5. Care home trial suggests switching to decaf could reduce falls (information for all care homes)
A joint report has been published (see links below) suggesting that a sector wide switch to decaffeinated beverages could lead to less disruption and crisis care.
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
A trial was conducted with roughly 300 residents across Stow Healthcare homes. Over six months between June – November 2023, falls associated visits to the toilet dropped by 35%. These results suggest that the switch to decaf reduces bladder and bowel urgency for those with overactive bladders or incontinence.
Read more on how this trial was conducted and the benefits of replicating results across the care sector.
View the full report on the Care England website here;
Switching to decaf could save NHS £85m per year, care home trial suggests - Care England
6. Capacity Tracker: Two Year Urgent & Emergency Care (UEC) Recovery Plan (information for all providers)
How can ASC Providers support the delivery of the Two Year Urgent & Emergency Care (UEC) Recovery Plan? The Capacity Tracker Team would like to share a recently published letter (see below) from NHSE relating to the Two Year Urgent & Emergency Care (UEC) Recovery Plan.
Care Home and Home Care Providers are asked to support this plan by updating your vacancy data/additional capacity data in Capacity Tracker every 48 hours (sooner if things change)
If there are no changes to your data, simply click 'Save Page' to refresh your information in the system.
Updating Capacity Tracker
We recommend that there is more than 1 user registered at each location who can update Capacity Tracker to cover periods of absence (if you are an approver, you will be able to approve new users immediately). Please be reminded that Capacity Tracker is not accessible outside of the UK if you are going abroad.
Need Additional Support
Provider Training Sessions are available. See here for further information on the Events page in the Resource Centre here;
Need Help?
For additional support, please contact our Support Centre, Mon - Fri (excluding Public Holidays) 8am - 5pm by phoning 0191 691 3729 or emailing necsu.capacitytracker@nhs.net
7. Skills for Care: Registered managers webinar: Understanding your digital requirements under the Single Assessment Framework 11 June 2024 (information for all West Midlands providers)
Thursday 11 June | 10:30 – 11:30 | Zoom,
Skills for Care is hosting a digital-themed webinar for registered managers. It will provide practical advice, support, and information on how to meet the digital requirements of the Single Assessment Framework, ensuring that you are well prepared to meet the evidence requirements.
With digitisation a high priority for the adult social care sector, it is important for managers to know what digital aspects are assessed and monitored within the Care Quality Commission (CQC) Single Assessment Framework and its set of quality statements.
Mark Sutton, Chief Digital Officer at the CQC, as well as a panel of registered managers will be attending who will share their top tips and discuss their experiences.
8. Skills for Care: Moving Up – bookings open June 2024 cohort (information for all West Midland providers)
The next Moving Up programme starts on 13 June 2024. This programme supports Black and Asian minority groups who are managers or aspiring managers and have the desire and drive to progress in their career but are facing blockages and resistance preventing them from doing so. Taking part in the programme gives participants an increased understanding of who they are, their strengths and weaknesses and a variety of techniques to help overcome any personal challenges. It will focus on increasing confidence and self-belief, to allow growth and progression to where they want to be in their career.
The next programme dates (which are three live online sessions) are:
- Thursday 13 June 2024, 09:30 - 16:00
- Thursday 4 July 2024, 09:30 - 16:00
- Tuesday 10 September 2024, 09:30 - 16:00
Registrations close on Monday 27 May 2024. Up to £510 per learner can be claimed from the
DHSC training and development fund
You can find out more and book on our website
9. REMINDER Raising awareness about Cancer - Cancer Champions, Talk Cancer Training 5 June 2024 (information for all Birmingham and Solihull providers)
Delivered by nurse trainers, the online, interactive workshop will equip and empower you to raise cancer awareness in your community. The training is on Wednesday 5 June 2024 at 10.00 am to 12.00 noon.
The training is suitable for you if you are able to promote health and wellbeing in your community. The Talk Cancer training can help you to make your conversations more impactful by;
- Increasing your knowledge of key messages around reducing your risk of cancer, the national cancer screening programmes, and spotting cancer early
- Building your confidence to talk to the public about cancer
- Helping you to encourage people to make healthy changes, access local services and visit their GP promptly with any concerns
For further information please contact Kafilla Munir; Kafilla.munir2@nhs.net
10. REMINDER 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.
Further information about this subject 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).
11. The Alzheimer’s & Dementia Show 14 -15 June 2024 (information for all providers)
Covering all aspects of the fight against Alzheimer’s & dementia from drug discovery to treatment to care, with CPD content and training dedicated to care providers.
What to expect?
- CQC will be running an ‘inspector hub’. Attendees are invited to speak to a CQC inspector or registration manager to discuss any queries they may have; local inspectors will be able to answer any questions and give registration advice.
- Wide Range of Care Exhibitors: Explore a diverse array of products and services, handpicked to meet the unique needs of caregivers.
- Expert Speakers: Gain insights from industry leaders and experts, unlocking the knowledge to navigate the complexities of Alzheimer's and dementia care.
- Specialised Training: Virtual Dementia Tour Training, and the Dementia Interpreters Training Course where you can become a registered Dementia Interpreter.
To find out more visit
The Alzheimer’s Dementia & Care Show 2024 (alzheimersshow.co.uk)
To book tickets visit
The Alzheimer's & Dementia Show 14 - 15 June 2024 Tickets, Fri 14 Jun 2024 at 09:30 | Eventbrite
12. REMINDER Birmingham and Solihull Nurses and Clinical Leads Network for Nurses – update from March 2024 meeting, next meeting 25 June 2024 (information for Birmingham and Solihull care homes)
The Birmingham and Solihull Nurses and Clinical Leads Network for Nurses working in social care met on 21 March 2024 and had a very informative meeting. There were many interesting presentations delivered at the meeting and a recording is available for those that missed it here; BSOL Nurses and Clinical Leads Network 210324 Meeting Recording (youtube.com)
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.
Themmeetings 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 date for the next virtual meeting is Tuesday 25 June 2024 and booking details can be found here;