What's New Bulletin 268 - 02 October 2025
This is edition 268 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. Care Homes Market Intelligence Questionnaire (MIQ) – October 2025 – DEADLINE 17 October 2025 (Information for All Birmingham and Contracted Care Homes)
2. Birmingham City Council - Publication of Updated Market Position Statements (Information for all Providers)
3. Birmingham City Council - Employment Rights Bill (Information for all Providers)
4. CONSULTATION Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) - Fair Pay Agreement Process in Adult Social Care – DEADLINE 16 January 2026 (Information for all Providers)
5. Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) - Standards for Training on Learning Disability and Autism for Registered Health and Social Care Providers and Their Staff (Information for all Providers)
6. Care Quality Commission (CQC) - Adult Social Care Workforce SURVEY (Information for all Providers)
7. Care Quality Commission (CQC) Update for Adult Social Care Providers - Updated Medicines Information Pages – Supporting Safety in Adult Social Care (Information for all Providers)
8. Care Quality Commission (CQC) Update for Adult Social Care Providers - Office of the Public Guardian: Powers of Attorney and Provider Guidance (Information for all Providers)
9. NHS Birmingham and Solihull (BSOL) - Newly Relaunched NHS Knowledge and Library Hub (Information for Birmingham and Solihull Nurses)
10. Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) - Access to the Care Home App (Information for Birmingham, Solihull and Black Country Care Homes)
11. Skills for Care Updates for October 2025 (Information for all Birmingham and Solihull Providers)
12. REMINDER NHS Birmingham and Solihull (BSOL) Training Hub October 2025 (Information for Birmingham and Solihull Care Homes)
13. REMINDER Birmingham City Council - Free Falls and Frailty Sessions for Citizens – 8 and 9 October 2025 (Information for all Birmingham Providers)
14. Birmingham Community Healthcare (BCHC) NHS Foundation Trust - Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) - IPC Virtual Training - ‘Outbreaks and Specimen Collection’ - 10 October 2025 (Information for Birmingham and Solihull Care Homes)
1. Care Homes Market Intelligence Questionnaire (MIQ) – October 2025 – DEADLINE 17 October 2025 (Information for All Birmingham and Contracted Care Homes)
Please click this link to access the questionnaire:
The deadline for completion is Friday 17 October 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 this 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.
Please see attached further information about our approach and how the data we are asking for will be used. A PDF version of the questionnaire is also attached for review in advance of starting to complete the on-line the questionnaire
2. Birmingham City Council - Publication of Updated Market Position Statements (Information for all Providers)
This week we have published a set of updated Market Position Statements covering the care home, support living, extra care and home support adult social care markets. We hope you will find these useful, informative and support you to make future business decisions. On our website you can access the full Market Position Statements as well as a suite of summary quick reference documents which set out the key market shaping messages and actions:
Market position statements | Commissioning strategies | Birmingham City Council
3. Birmingham City Council - Employment Rights Bill (Information for all Providers)
The Employment Rights Bill is currently working its way through the parliamentary process on its way to becoming law later this year. There is a range of information about the Bill available on the government’s website, and the published Employment Rights Bill factsheets are a useful starting point for those looking to understand the Bill’s measures and their potential impact from an employer and an employee perspective. You can access those via this link:
Employment Rights Bill: factsheets - GOV.UK
4. CONSULTATION Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) - Fair Pay Agreement Process in Adult Social Care – DEADLINE 16 January 2026 (Information for all Providers)
As part of the Employment Rights Bill, the government intends to implement an Adult Social Care Fair Pay Agreement negotiating body and process. The Department of Health and Social Care has opened a consultation about the process which will close on 16 January 2026.
You can access further details about the consultation including how to respond to it using this link:
Fair pay agreement process in adult social care - GOV.UK
5. Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) - Standards for Training on Learning Disability and Autism for Registered Health and Social Care Providers and Their Staff (Information for all Providers)
The Health and Care Act 2022 introduced a statutory requirement that health and social care providers that are registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), must ensure their staff receive learning disability and autism training appropriate to their role. This training will help ensure that staff have the right knowledge and skills to provide safe and informed care.
The Oliver McGowan code of practice sets out clear standards for CQC-registered providers on meeting the training requirement, such as expectations on training content and delivery. The code became final on 6 September 2025.
Please use this link for further information and link to training.
Mandatory training on learning disability and autism - GOV.UK
6. Care Quality Commission (CQC) - Adult Social Care Workforce SURVEY (Information for all Providers)
Social care is at the heart of our communities, and no one understands its challenges and rewards better than those working within it. That’s why the Adult Social Care Workforce Survey needs your voice using the link below:
Adult Social Care Workforce Survey
So far, only a small number of care workers, occupational therapists, and nursing professionals have taken part, but your experiences are vital. From staffing and training to wellbeing and working conditions, what you share can help shape how the sector is supported in the years to come.
Every response makes a difference. Your insight will contribute to a government report that will guide decisions on:
- funding for social care
- staffing and workforce planning
- training and development opportunities
- support for you and your profession.
Share the survey with your colleagues to ensure the voices of care workers, occupational therapists, and nursing professionals are heard loud and clear.
7. Care Quality Commission (CQC) Update for Adult Social Care Providers - Updated Medicines Information Pages – Supporting Safety in Adult Social Care (Information for all Providers)
The CQC have updated 3 of their webpages on medicines information to reflect current best practice (see below):
their webpages on medicines information
on the use of medicines with a ‘when required’ dose
Information on the
appropriate use of psychotropic medicines
a high-risk medicine
They are encouraging adult social care (ASC) providers to share these webpages with their teams, to help meet regulatory expectations and improve outcomes for people.
If you have any queries, please direct them to the medicines team, at medicines.enquiries@cqc.org.uk
8. Care Quality Commission (CQC) Update for Adult Social Care Providers - Office of the Public Guardian: Powers of Attorney and Provider Guidance (Information for all Providers)
The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) helps people in England and Wales stay in control of decisions about their health and finances, by:
- registering lasting and enduring powers of attorney
- maintaining the registers of attorneys, deputies, and guardians
- supervising deputies and guardians appointed by the courts.
Organisations can use the View an LPA service to access a summary of a lasting power of attorney (LPA):
You can find out if someone has a registered attorney or deputy by searching OPG’s registers of LPAs, enduring powers of attorney, and deputy court orders. To do this use the link below:
complete and submit an OPG100 form.
Concerns about how an attorney, deputy, or guardian is acting can be reported to OPG on the link below:
9. NHS Birmingham and Solihull (BSOL) - Newly Relaunched NHS Knowledge and Library Hub (Information for Birmingham and Solihull Nurses)
The NHS Knowledge and Library Hub is a search tool to connect NHS staff to knowledge and evidence resources in one place. It includes online journals, e-books and databases, clinical decision support resources including NICE Guidelines and BMJ Best Practice, and one-click links to full-text.
The BSOL Training Hub has recently been relaunched with a new user interface - Search the Hub more effectively: video guides from NHS England. These are useful whether you are just trying to find a specific journal article or e-book, or if you want to search across resources. You can find journal articles, e-books, clinical decision support tools and clinical guidelines all in one place.
For further help and to sign up for a UHB OpenAthens account, please contact Phil O’Reilly, BSol Knowledge & Library Specialist at philip.oreilly1@nhs.net
10. Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) - Access to the Care Home App (Information for Birmingham, Solihull and Black Country Care Homes
Care home staff can now access the NHS ICB Black Country Care Home app. This replaces the BSOL 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. Please note, FREED stands for Frailty, Recognition, End of Life & Escalation of Deterioration and includes a range of tools to assist staff with these issues.
11. Skills for Care Updates for October 2025 (Information for all Birmingham and Solihull Providers)
Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
12. REMINDER NHS Birmingham and Solihull (BSOL) Training Hub October 2025 (Information for Birmingham and Solihull Care Homes)
The Birmingham and Solihull Training Hub Website is for those working in a primary or social care role in the Solihull / Birmingham area. The information is for students looking for support with career development or a visitor wanting to find out more.
Please use this link for training, further information and booking
Social Care – BSol Training hub
All training events are listed in the calendar section. You can also contact the training hub by email bsol.traininghub@nhs.net.
The next sessions are:
- 6October 2025 introduction to Positive Approaches to behaviour & Introduction to Safer De-escalation - 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
- 7 October 2025 The DSPT and Data Protection in General for Home Care - 10:00 am - 11:00 am
- 8 October 2025 Streamlining International Recruitment with Lifted: Updates for West Midlands Care Providers- 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
- 8 October 2025 Reducing Dressing Changes, Improving Clinical Outcomes - 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
- 9 October 2025 The DSPT and Data Protection in General for Care Homes - 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
- 9 October 2025 Managing Mental Health in a Care Home setting - 10:00 am - 11:00 am
13. REMINDER Birmingham City Council - Free Falls and Frailty Sessions for Citizens – 8 and 9 October 2025 (Information for all Birmingham Providers)
Birmingham City Council is working with the NHS to provide free walking stick ferrules replacement (the rubber end to a walking sticks and frames) and mobility support, aimed at adults who are at risk of falling to provide information and support to help them feels safer and move more confidently.
Birmingham City Council offer FREE:
- 3-hour drop-in sessions with local NHS professionals
- Walking stick tip (ferrules) checks and replacement (the rubber end to a walking sticks and frames
- Referrals to specialist falls services
Come and speak to your community NHS professionals about ways you can stay well, no booking needed.
Upcoming sessions:
- 8 October 2025 – Hawkesley Community Centre, Kings Norton, 11.00am – 2.00pm
- 9 October 2025 – Cocks Moors Leisure Centre, Kings Heath, 12.00pm – 3.00pm
The information about the sessions is also available on
Please share as appropriate with any citizens.
14. Birmingham Community Healthcare (BCHC) NHS Foundation Trust - Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) - IPC Virtual Training - ‘Outbreaks and Specimen Collection’ - 10 October 2025 (Information for Birmingham and Solihull Care Homes)
Friday, 10 October 2025 the IPC Virtual Training session on ‘Outbreaks and Specimen Collection’ will be held on MS Teams at 14.00pm
Please click here to join this meeting