What's New Bulletin 208 - 01 August 2024

This is edition 208 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 Care Homes Market Intelligence Questionnaire (MIQ) – July 2024 – DEADLINE 6 August 2024 (information for all Birmingham and contracted care homes)

2. REMINDER Cost of Care Exercise 2024: Action required 18 August 2024 deadline AMENDED CARE HOME TEMPLATE – (Younger adult (18-64 yrs) care homes and supported living services located in Birmingham and the West Midlands region, and which are contracted to Birmingham City Council and Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System)

3. World Alzheimer's Month - upcoming September 2024 campaign – let us know what you have planned by 6 August 2024 (information for all providers)

4. Business Energy Advice Service (BEAS) Free Energy Assessments and Grants from £1000 to £100,000 for SMEs in the West Midlands (information for all West Midlands providers)

5. Care Quality Commission (CQC) response to the interim findings of the Dash review into operational effectiveness (information for all providers)

6. Care Quality Commission (CQC) update on the safer management of controlled drugs (information for all care homes)

7. REMINDER Care home trial suggests switching to decaf could reduce falls (information for all care homes)

8. Capacity Tracker training dates August – September 2024 (information for all providers)

9. REMINDER Ann Marie Howes Centre Summer Fete 3 August 2024 (information for all Birmingham providers)

10. BSoL Training Hub Student Placement Information Webinar 10 September 2024 (information for Birmingham and Solihull care homes)

11. Infection Prevention & Control Champion Training 20 September 2024 (information for Birmingham and Solihull care homes)

1. REMINDER Care Homes Market Intelligence Questionnaire (MIQ) – July 2024 – DEADLINE 6 August 2024 (information for all Birmingham and contracted care homes)

Please find the link to the July 2024 quarterly MIQ here below

Care Home MIQ – July 2024

The deadline for completion is Tuesday 6 August 2024

This questionnaire is issued quarterly. Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. To request a copy, email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk

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 July 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.

Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. To request a copy, email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk.

2. REMINDER Cost of Care Exercise 2024: Action required 18 August 2024 deadline AMENDED CARE HOME TEMPLATE – (Younger adult (18-64 yrs) care homes and supported living services located in Birmingham and the West Midlands region, and which are contracted to Birmingham City Council and Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System)

It has recently been brought to our attention that there were a couple of issues with the Care Home Cost of Care template that was sent out previously. These problems have now been fixed, These issues only affected the Care Home template. They did not affect the Supported Living template.

Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. To request a copy, email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk

If you have already submitted a completed Care Home Cost of Care template, you do not need to take any action, unless we contact you directly to clarify any of the data you have supplied.

If you are a Care Home Provider and have not yet submitted a Cost of Care template, please use the updated version.

Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. To request a copy, email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk

On 8 July we launched our 2024 cost of care exercise. This year’s exercise is being carried out jointly by Birmingham City Council (BCC) and our NHS partners Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System (BSol ICS).

This year’s exercise will focus on gathering cost data in relation to supported living services and younger adult care homes located in Birmingham and the West Midlands region, and which are contracted to the BCC and BSol ICS. Please note that for care providers contracted to Birmingham City Council completion of the exercise is a requirement of the contract and therefore mandatory.

As in previous years the exercise requires you to submit a range of data in relation to the costs of delivering care and support services. The data we gather will help the Council and NHS understand costs across the care market and inform the fees we pay. We will not share your individual data without your permission, but we will aggregate the data received and will publish the outputs of the analysis ensuring anonymity.

Please submit your cost of care templates to costofcare@birmingham.gov.uk in advance of the deadline – 11.59pm Sunday 18 August 2024.

If you need to ask a question, please email costofcare@birmingham.gov.uk

 

  • Supported Living services:
    • You are required to complete the Supported Living Costing Tool 2024 Tab I. – Standard (Cost +) only. The tool and guidance are attached.
    • Submission deadline - 11.59pm Sunday 18 August 2024.
  • Younger Adult Care homes (18-64 years old):
    • You are required to complete the Care Home Costing Tool 2024. The tool and guidance are attached. N.B. please use the attached costing tool in the message and not that attached to the launch message on 8 July 2024, as this contained a small error in the operating profit calculation function. If you have already submitted your return, it does not materially affect the data you have supplied and we will amend the calculation on your submitted form.
    • Submission deadline - 11.59pm Sunday 18 August 2024.

Thank you in advance for your participation and timely submissions.

3. World Alzheimer's Month - upcoming September 2024 campaign – let us know what you have planned by 6 August 2024 (information for all providers)

The World Alzheimer's Month takes place throughout September. The theme for 2024 is 'Time to act on dementia, Time to act on Alzheimer's'. Throughout September, various events, activities, and initiatives will take place to mark World Alzheimer's Month.

Birmingham City Council will be promoting the following events/activities:

  • Alzheimer’s Society Birmingham Memory Walk, Sutton Park on 14 Sept 2024. A community-based walk and run organized to raise funds for Alzheimer's research and support services.
  • World Alzheimer's Day is part of the awareness month and takes place on 21 September

On this day Birmingham Library will be lit up in purple in recognition of World Alzheimer’s Day

  • Alzheimer’s Society, Forward Carers will support activities at the Birmingham Library with an information/advice stand on the ground floor near the reception.
  • BCC Public Health will promote dementia friendly venues.
  • Adult Social Care link to BCC dementia website.

Activities such as:

  • Dementia Friend Initiative offered by Alzheimer’s Society
  • Activities planned by social care practitioners.
  • Free dementia awareness training offers

Key messages throughout the month include:

  • To raise awareness and understanding of dementia and challenge the stigma surrounding Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
  • Promote the Birmingham City Council (BCC) dementia website – our single point of access to information on dementia, advice and support services available locally to you.
  • Links to free dementia awareness training and activities/events happening across Birmingham in September.

Where can you play your part?

Birmingham City Council would like you to inform us of any activities or plans you have to recognise World Alzheimer’s Month. Can you please email shazia.n.ahmed@birmingham.gov.uk if you are doing anything for this in your service, no later than 1:00pm on the 6 of August 2024.

Details of the events/activities will be shared on our BCC dementia website to enable the public to see what is happening across Birmingham.

4. Business Energy Advice Service (BEAS) Free Energy Assessments and Grants from £1000 to £100,000 for SMEs in the West Midlands (information for all West Midlands providers)

The Pilot Business Energy Advice Service (BEAS) is offering 4000 free energy assessments to small businesses across the West Midlands. The assessments will provide recommendations for energy reduction, helping to reduce costs. Then after a business has undertaken an energy assessment there will be an opportunity to apply for a grant for commercial and industrial SMEs to facilitate investment in energy efficiency measures.

For further information, visit the Business Growth West Midlands website.

5. Care Quality Commission (CQC) response to the interim findings of the Dash review into operational effectiveness (information for all providers)

The interim report of the Dash review gives a high-level summary of early findings. It has been published to help shape the changes needed to start the process of improving CQC.

In response, Kate Terroni, interim chief executive CQC, said:

"We accept in full the findings and recommendations in this interim review, which identifies clear areas where improvement is urgently needed. Many of these align with areas we have prioritised as part of our work to restore trust with the public and providers by listening better, working together more collaboratively and being honest about what we’ve got wrong.

"We are working at pace and in consultation with our stakeholders to rebuild that trust and become the strong, credible, and effective regulator of health and care services that the public and providers need and deserve."

The CQC will be updating their website with more information about their change programme in the coming weeks.

News: Response to the interim findings of the Dash review into CQC's operational effectiveness

GOV.UK: Review into the operational effectiveness of the Care Quality Commission: interim report

Update: Responding to concerns about changes to our regulation

Change at CQC

6. Care Quality Commission (CQC) update on the safer management of controlled drugs (information for all care homes)

The CQC has published their annual update on the safer management and use of controlled drugs. The report shares important insight on the use of controlled drugs in health care and adult social care services.

The annual update draws on prescribing data, feedback from controlled drug local intelligence networks, and the wider inspection and regulatory work. The report will help people working with controlled drugs to strengthen the arrangements for their safe management and use.

News story: Controlled drugs annual update report for 2023

Report: The safer management of controlled drugs: Annual update 2023

Controlled drugs annual updates from previous years

Guidance for providers: Controlled drugs

7. REMINDER Care home trial suggests switching to decaf could reduce falls (information for all care homes)

A joint report published by

Care England

Stow Healthcare

and

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

suggests that a sector wide switch to decaffeinated beverages could lead to less disruption and crisis care.

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

8. Capacity Tracker training dates August – September 2024 (information for all providers)

Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk

The sessions will cover;

  • How to get set up on Capacity Tracker
  • What Capacity Tracker is and its general functionality
  • Tips & tricks to make your service stand out
  • Current government policy and guidance, related to Capacity Tracker
  • How Capacity Tracker is used to source vacancies
  • How Capacity Tracker benefits the health & social care system

Contact Information:

  • For system support and guidance phone NECS Capacity Tracker Support Centre on 0191 691 3729 ornecsu.capacitytracker@nhs.net(We are open Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm, excluding public holidays)
  • Changing registration, closing, change of ownership – contact the CQC - T: 03000 616161, E: enquiries@cqc.org.uk, CQC Provider Portal (They are open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5.30pm, excluding public holidays)
  • If you receive an enforcement notice – please contact the NHS Business Services Authority Enforcement Team (NHSBSA) – T: 0300 330 2088, E:enforcement@nhsbsa.nhs.uk(They are open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 4.30pm

9. REMINDER Ann Marie Howes Centre Summer Fete 3 August 2024 (information for all Birmingham providers)

Ann Marie Howes Centre is holding a summer fete on Saturday 3 August 2024 between 11:00am and 4:00pm and everyone is Welcome to attend!. There will be a variety of stalls, tombola, raffle and other activities, as well as food and drink being available.

Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. To requesta copy, email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk

Please note that only cash transactions will be available.

Please share with colleagues, partners and citizens as appropriate.

10. BSoL Training Hub Student Placement Information Webinar 10 September 2024 (information for Birmingham and Solihull care homes)

NHS BSoL Training Hub are looking for nursing homes with an interest in becoming placement providers for student nurses and are holding a webinar on 10 September 12:30pm – 1:30pm to provide further information. Please contact Shelly Caines Healthcare & Nurse Associate Facilitator & Practice Educator for further information shelly.caines@nhs.net

Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. To request a copy, email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk

11. Infection Prevention & Control Champion Training 20 September 2024 (information for Birmingham and Solihull care homes)

Do you want to become part of the IPC champions network? Please see attached flyer for further information and details on how to book a place.

The date of the next IPC Champions Training Day is Friday 20 September, this will take place at The Saffron Centre, between 9am – 5pm.

To book your team in to attend this event, submit the following at the earliest convenience.

Forename:

Surname:

Occupation:

Email:

Contact Number:

The emails and or numbers provided should be a direct contact of the attendee.

Can we please ask you to limit your nominated attendees to 3 – 4 individuals, more spaces may be made available closer to the date of the event.

Please note this event is for care home staff who wish to become IPC Champions, if you already occupy this role IPC will soon contact you with news regarding the next IPC forum.

To book your place(s) or for more information please contact david.sewell@nhs.net or jean.dipple@nhs.net

This is a free event held in conjunction with Birmingham City Council.


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