What's New Bulletin 269 - 09 October 2025
This is edition 269 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. Home Support and Supported Living Market Intelligence Questionnaire (MIQ) – October 2025 (Information for all Providers Holding the Home Support 2024 and Supported Living 2023 Contracts)
2. REMINDER Care Homes Market Intelligence Questionnaire (MIQ) – October 2025 – DEADLINE 17 October 2025 (Information for All Birmingham and Contracted Care Homes)
3. Birmingham Community Healthcare (BCHC) NHS Foundation Trust - Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) - Infection Prevention Society (IPS) 2025 Award (Information for Birmingham and Solihull Care Homes)
4. Birmingham Community Healthcare (BCHC) NHS Foundation Trust - Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) - Infection Prevention and Control Winter Refresher October 2025 (Information for Birmingham and Solihull Care Homes)
5. West Midlands-Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) and West Midlands Employers - International Recruitment - International Recruitment E-Bulletin (Information for all West Midlands Care Providers)
6. REMINDER 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)
7. REMINDER NHS Birmingham and Solihull (BSOL) Training Hub October 2025 (Information for Birmingham and Solihull Care Homes)
8. Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Commissioning Board (BSOL ICB) - Webinar for New and Existing Social Care Managers – 15 October 2025 (Information for Birmingham and Solihull Care Homes)
9. Skills for Care - The Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) Workshops November 2025 (Information for all Providers)
1. Home Support and Supported Living Market Intelligence Questionnaire (MIQ) – October 2025 (Information for all Providers Holding the Home Support 2024 and Supported Living 2023 Contracts)
If your service holds either or both of the Home Support 2024 and Supported Living 2023 contracts, you are requested to complete and submit this questionnaire by clicking this link:
Home Support and Supported Living MIQ – October 2025
The deadline for completion is Friday 24 October 2025
The questionnaire is issued quarterly. A pdf copy 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 Home Support 2024 and Supported Living 2023 contracts
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.
2. REMINDER 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
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.
A PDF version has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
3. Birmingham Community Healthcare (BCHC) NHS Foundation Trust - Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) - Infection Prevention Society (IPS) 2025 Award (Information for Birmingham and Solihull Care Homes)
The Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Team have managed to scoop a “Highley Commended” IPC impact award for their IPC Excellence for their Gloveless/less Gloves campaign across the care homes, at this week’s Infection Prevention Society Conference “ IPS 2025” (one of only 4 awards given out) They would like to say a huge thank you to all the homes and IPC Champions who have participated in this campaign great with so many care homes actively involved In addition, IPC have also been shortlisted for next month’s Regional Great British Care Awards They are up for awards in two categories for Care Innovation and Co-Production respectively.
Further information about their Gloveless/less Glove campaign (and thank you to Andrew Cohen House, St Anthony's Care Home, Selly Park Care Home and Raynor House for their involvement) has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
4. Birmingham Community Healthcare (BCHC) NHS Foundation Trust - Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) - Infection Prevention and Control Winter Refresher October 2025 (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
5. West Midlands-Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) and West Midlands Employers - International Recruitment - International Recruitment E-Bulletin (Information for all West Midlands Care Providers)
Please see the link to the latest International Recruitment E-Bulletin (Issue 7, September 2025)
IR-E-Bulletin-Sep-2025-Final.pdf
This edition highlights some significant developments including:
- Regional Job-Matching: Lifted confirmed as provider, with new features introduced from September 2025.
- Safeguarding & Exploitation: Sandwell Council leading a new webinar series on tackling exploitation.
- My UK Life: A new feature being piloted enabling international care workers to share their stories.
- Local Highlights include:
- Dudley’s first international care worker event
- Coventry & Warwickshire Council’s Health & Wellbeing Event
- Tulia International Care Worker Event
- Warwickshire’s new Slang Guide
6. REMINDER 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
7. 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:
- 14 October 2025 The DSPT and Data Protection in General for Home Care - 10:00 am - 11:00 am
- 15 October 2025 BSOL ICB Clinical Quality Assurance Team – Achieving Excellence Together 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
- 15 October 2025 The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England 2025: Launch event 9:30 am - 11:30 am
- 16 October 2025 Continuing Health Care Fast Track Pathway Training (October 2025) - 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
- 16 October 2025 The DSPT and Data Protection in General for Care Homes - 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
- 17 October 2025 BSOL Bladder & Bowel Health TENA training session (October 2025) - 10:00 am - 11:00 am
- 20 October 2025 International Recruitment: Exploitation in International Recruitment: “Why Now?” - 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm
- 21 October 2025 The DSPT and Data Protection in General for Home Care - 10:00 am - 11:00 am
- 21 October 2025 Personal Devices, WhatsApp & Data Sharing: Are You Putting People at Risk? - 10:00 am - 11:00 am
8. Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Commissioning Board (BSOL ICB) - Webinar for New and Existing Social Care Managers – 15 October 2025 (Information for Birmingham and Solihull Care Homes)
Join the AACHC Social Care and Independent Sector Quality Assurance & Improvement Team for a 1-hour webinar designed to connect you with essential resources and support across BSOL ICB and the wider system.
Venue: Teams online Meeting
Time: 2 pm to 3 pm
Date: 15 October 2025
Meeting ID: 392 769 51 458 2 Passcode: 3hN6dd3Y
What you'll gain
- Access to key resources for new managers
- How to stay informed and connected
- Networks and library services for social care nurses
- MSc Community Specialist Practice (SPQ) opportunities
- Direct links to services supporting you and your patients: CHC, Infection Prevention, Training Hub, Podiatry, Bladder & Bowel, Falls Prevention, Tissue Viability, Urgent Care, End of Life, Dementia, and more.
Don't miss this opportunity to strengthen your knowledge of the support available form the BSOL ICB team and wider Integrated care system Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
9. Skills for Care - The Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) Workshops November 2025 (Information for all Providers)
These sessions are designed to support providers in understanding the benefits of ASC-WDS.
The sessions will cover:
- What ASC-WDS is and how the data is used by key stakeholders
- Benefits of creating an account
- Live demo
- What you’ll need to create an account
- Q&A
Workshop dates:
3 November 2025 - 09:30am -10:30am
11November 2025 - 11:00am -12:00pm
19 November 2025 – 1:00pm - 2:00pm
27 November 2025 - 10:00am -11:00am
Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
Click on the link to book your place
ASC-WDS Workshops - Please complete the form below
Please use this link to see the responses to the most recent Department of Health and Social Care survey