What's New Bulletin 231 - 16 January 2025
This is edition 231 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) – January 2025 – DEADLINE 24 January 2025 (information for all Birmingham and contracted care homes)
2. Birmingham City Council - Support for Domestic Abuse Survivors 2025 (Information for all Providers)
3. West Midlands Association of Directors for Adult Social Services (WM ADASS) Latest International Recruitment E-Bulletin: Essential Updates and Support for Care Providers (Information for all West Midlands Care Providers)
4. West Midlands Care Association (WMCA) - Webinar: International Recruitment: Pay and Redundancy - 30 January 2025 (Information for all West Midlands Care Providers)
5. REMINDER: UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reporting tool and response process for Acute Respiratory Infections in adult social care (Information for all West Midlands Providers)
6. REMINDER The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) – The new Learning and Development Support Scheme (information for all providers)
7. REMINDER NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board (BSOL ICB) - Seasonal Vaccination Services for Autumn/Winter 2024/25 (AW24/25) (information for Birmingham and Solihull care homes)
8. Birmingham and Solihull (BSOL) – Skills for Care Updates (Information for all Birmingham and Solihull Providers)
9. Skills for Care – Virtual Session - Learning Exchange for Delegated Healthcare Activities - Tuesday 21 January 2025 (Information for all Providers)
10. Birmingham and Solihull Training Hub Training Events 21 to 28 January 2025 (Information for Birmingham and Solihull Care Homes)
1. REMINDER Care Homes Market Intelligence Questionnaire (MIQ) – January 2025 – DEADLINE 24 January 2025 (information for all Birmingham and contracted care homes)
Please click this link to access the questionnaire:
The deadline for completion is Friday 24 January 2025
This questionnaire is issued quarterly.Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
Completion of the questionnaire is part of the terms of the Care Homes 2023 contract, for contracted providers, but we ask all Birmingham care homes 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 October 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. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk. Ths details our approach and how the data we are asking for will be used.
2. Birmingham City Council - Support for Domestic Abuse Survivors 2025 (Information for all Providers)
The Domestic Abuse Prevention Team sees increased demand on our commissioned support services at this time of year.
Incidents of domestic abuse not only increase over the holidays, but also in January, when the financial pressures of Christmas are felt, with bills needing to be paid. Financial abuse is a part of coercive control, often involving, for example, abusers refusing to pay bills, ruining the survivors credit score or threatening behaviour to hand over benefits.
Anyone can be affected by domestic abuse, and you can make a difference simply by reaching out to check on loved ones, offering a listening ear to combat the isolation caused by abuse and sharing contact details for specialist support.
If you, or someone you know, needs support, please reach out:
Anyone can call the Domestic Abuse Hub helpline, open 9:00 to 17:00 every day on 0808 800 0028. You can also use the webchat at the following:
You can find details of various local and national support options on the link below:
In an emergency, please call 999.
We listen, we believe, and we commission specialist support.
You can play a part in implementing our Birmingham Domestic Abuse Prevention Strategy 2024+ and tackling domestic abuse across the city.
Visit our webpages below to find out more about domestic abuse, the local support available and how you can help survivors.
refreshed domestic abuse webpages
3. West Midlands Association of Directors for Adult Social Services (WM ADASS) Latest International Recruitment E-Bulletin: Essential Updates and Support for Care Providers (Information for all West Midlands Care Providers)
Please see below a link to the WM ADASS’s latest International Recruitment E-Bulletin, which provides important updates and information to support Care Providers and displaced International Care Workers in the West Midlands.
In this edition, you’ll find guidance on:
- Speeding up your Certificate of Sponsorship Applications
- The rollout of e-Visas & what they mean for care providers
- Accessing legal support and guidance for international recruitment.
- Resources and support for displaced International Care Workers living in the West Midlands.
Click here to access the latest E-Bulletin
If you have any questions about the support available through the International Recruitment Programme 2024-25, please don’t hesitate to contact the team at hello@wmca.international
Additionally, if you know of any displaced International Care Workers living in the West Midlands who require support, please direct them to the link below. They will be asked to complete a short form, after which the team will reach out to provide assistance.
4. West Midlands Care Association (WMCA) - Webinar: International Recruitment: Pay and Redundancy - 30 January 2025 (Information for all West Midlands Care Providers)
As part of the WMCA’s partnership with WM-ADASS around international recruitment, they would like to invite you to attend a live legal webinar, which will focus on pay and redundancy.
Edward O’Brien, Senior Associate, at Law Firm Lester Aldridge will explore common issues care providers face when it comes to pay and redundancy and provide practical guidance.
30 January 2025 3.00pm - 4.15pm (online)
There will be the opportunity to ask questions at the end.
Please click below to sign up:
5. REMINDER: UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reporting tool and response process for Acute Respiratory Infections in adult social care (Information for all West Midlands Providers)
An online Outbreak Risk Assessment Tool for Care Settings (Care OBRA Tool) is available should you need to contact UKHSA WM HPT (West Midlands Health Protection Team).
Use this service to report:
- a new outbreak of an acute respiratory infection (ARI) - 2 or more people in your setting with symptom onset within 5 days of each other
- a single confirmed case of flu in your setting
ARIs include COVID-19, flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), or unknown respiratory infection including chest infections.
This web-based tool enables care settings to report ARI outbreaks directly to UKHSA via the following web-link without the need to call or email the UKHSA HPT. You will automatically receive guidance on immediate actions required to reduce the spread of infection at your care home.
Care Outbreak Risk Assessment (Care OBRA) Tool
If you are not able to complete the form, please dial 03442253560 and press option 2.
6. REMINDER The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) – The new Learning and Development Support Scheme (information for all providers)
The DHSC has published a new guidance document (see below) on the funding available for learning and development for the adult social care workforce. This fund is called the Learning and Development Support Scheme.
The Learning and Development Support Scheme is administered via a new digital online claims service that allows adult social care employers to claim funding for certain training courses and qualifications on behalf of eligible care staff. Funding is available for eligible courses and qualifications that have been both paid for and started between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 (inclusive).
In order to manage the roll-out, for the first few months access to the service will be via invite only but providers can complete the knterest form below to be onboarded onto the new system.
complete an expression of interest form
If you have questions about the Learning and Development Support Scheme you can get in touch with the team by emailing ascreimbursement@dhsc.gov.uk
7. REMINDER NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board (BSOL ICB) - Seasonal Vaccination Services for Autumn/Winter 2024/25 (AW24/25) (information for Birmingham and Solihull care homes)
Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
The COVID campaign started on 3 October 2024 and ends on 20 December 2024, with some outreach vaccination continuing until 31 January 2025.
Please ensure to start the consent process prior to getting a date of visit confirmation, it will be helpful for the team visiting to vaccinate the residents to have those in hand prior to them visiting.
If the GP practice you are aligned to is part of an active (vaccinating in phase) Primary Care Network (PCN), then they will arrange a date to visit the care home to vaccinate the residents. However, for those care homes that are not aligned to an active PCN, external providers will be contacting you to arrange a vaccination for your residents.
Please note, if you are unsure whether the external provider contacting you is the correct one, please contact the ICB Immunisations and Vaccinations Team nhsbsolicb.immsandvacs@nhs.net for verification. The team will be able to confirm the legitimacy of the external provider.
8. Birmingham and Solihull (BSOL) – Skills for Care Updates (Information for all Birmingham and Solihull Providers)
Updates on forthcoming training and development opportunities for frontline care staff have been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
9. Skills for Care – Virtual Session - Learning Exchange for Delegated Healthcare Activities - Tuesday 21 January 2025 (Information for all Providers)
A delegated healthcare activity is an activity that a regulated healthcare professional, such as a nurse, nursing associate, occupational therapist or speech and language therapist, delegates to a care worker or personal assistant. The guiding principles for delegated healthcare activities have been revised and can be found below:
Skills for Care will be holding a virtual session for the Learning Exchange for delegated healthcare activities: Tuesday 21 January 2025 | 10:30am - 12:00pm
This virtual session will continue to explore practical approaches to care planning and accountability. This is a key theme which has been identified from previous learning exchanges. The session will be an opportunity to connect with others and dig deep into the challenges, share solutions and best practice. The session will be structured to mix in smaller groups.
Register for this learning exchange
10. Birmingham and Solihull Training Hub Training Events 21 to 28 January 2025 (Information for Birmingham and Solihull Care Homes)
Have you visited the Birmingham and Solihull traing hub website yet. Use the link below:
Birmingham and Solihull training hub website
As someone working in a social care role in the Birmingham/Solihull area, or as a student looking for support with career development or as a visitor wanting to find out more.
All training events are listed in the calendar section. Many of the training events in the bulletin are included on this valuable web page.
Up-coming training events are
- 21January 2025 Learning Exchange for delegated healthcare activities10:30 am to 12:00 pm
- 22 January 2025 Nursing Education Forum – see above link for details
- 22 January 2025 Health Innovation West Midlands Managing Deterioration ~ Soft Signs Webinar 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
- 23 January 2025 Nursing workforce forum – see above link for details
- 28 January 2025 Falls management 10:00 am to 11:00 am
You can also contact the training hub by email or phone: bsol.traininghub@nhs.net, 0121 483 2128.
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. Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk