What's New Bulletin 282 - 22 January 2026
This is edition 282 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 Home Support and Supported Living Market Intelligence Questionnaire (MIQ) – January 2026 (Information for all Providers Holding the Home Support 2024 and Supported Living 2023 Contracts)
2. REMINDER Care Homes Market Intelligence Questionnaire (MIQ) – January 2026 – DEADLINE 27 January 2026 (Information for all Birmingham and Contracted Care Homes)
3. REMINDER Department of Health and Social Care: Building Winter Resilience in Local Systems (Information for all Providers)
4. REMINDER Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) The Winter 25/26 Flu Campaign (Information for all Providers)
5. REMINDER Birmingham City Council - Business Continuity Arrangements (Information for all care providers)
6. West Midlands Care Association (WMCA) - Displaced Workers Pool (Information for all West Midlands Care Providers)
7. REMINDER SURVEY Birmingham Safeguarding Adults Board (BSAB) - Self-Neglect and Hoarding Survey DEADLINE 23 January 2026 (Information for all Birmingham Providers)
8. REMINDER Skills for Care – Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) (Information for all Birmingham Providers)
9. QUESTIONNAIRE - Birmingham City Council Public Health - Learning Disabilities Housing Needs and Solutions Appendix – DEADLINE 6 February 2026 (Information for all Birmingham Providers)
10. Community Care Collaborative Update - Connect Newsletter (Information for all Birmingham and Solihull Providers)
11. Skills for Care Updates for February 2026 (Information for all Birmingham and Solihull Providers)
12. REMINDER NHS Birmingham and Solihull (BSOL) Training Hub January 2026 (Information for Birmingham and Solihull Care Providers)
13. REMINDER West Midland Care Association – Data Security & Protection Toolkit Webinar 28 January 2026 (Information for all West Midlands Care Providers)
14. Digital Care Hub and Care England - Upcoming Digital Care Hub Webinars: 4 and 25 February 2026 (Information for all Providers)
15. Skills for Care - Midlands Regional Conference - Evolving Together – 10 February 2026 (Information for all West Midlands Care Providers)
1 REMINDER Home Support and Supported Living Market Intelligence Questionnaire (MIQ) – January 2026 (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 – January 2026
The deadline for completion is Friday 30 January 2026
The 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 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) – January 2026 – DEADLINE 27 January 2026 (Information for all Birmingham and Contracted Care Homes)
Please click this link to access the questionnaire:
The deadline for completion is Tuesday 27 January 2026
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.
Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
3 REMINDER Department of Health and Social Care: Building Winter Resilience in Local Systems (Information for all Providers)
The winter letter from Stephen Kinnock, Minister of State for Care, can be found here;
Winter letter 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK
It focuses on building winter resilience in local systems and sets out the priorities for adult social care this winter.
4 REMINDER Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) The Winter 25/26 Flu Campaign (Information for all Providers)
Flu season has started earlier than usual. It’s important that all Adult Social Care staff get vaccinated as soon as possible.
Please read the following letter for key information on the vaccine, who’s eligible, and how to book. Please ensure this is disseminated to all your staff and colleagues;
2025.11.17 Flu Uptake Letter.pdf
5 REMINDER Birmingham City Council - Business Continuity Arrangements (Information for all care providers)
Local authorities have specific duties in relation to business continuity management (BCM). This BCM duty applies to all services that the local authority carries out (including services that are provided by a third party). This means that the local authority needs to ensure all services have appropriate business continuity arrangements in place and will be seeking assurances that this is the case. The requirement for Business Continuity Plans is written into the Councils’ care contracts and plans must be reviewed by care providers annually or after any event that questions or challenges the continuity of their service. Any incident, whether large or small, accident or deliberate, can cause major disruption to your business. Examples of disruptions that can occur during winter pressures include; flooding, heavy snow, or pandemics.
The following links outline key business continuity arrangements that need to be in place and example templates, which can be tweaked to suit the needs of the service being delivered;
Business continuity | Is your business ready? | Birmingham City Council
Business continuity plan for care providers | Birmingham City Council
International Recruitment is a key concern when looking at Business Continuity Management. WM-ADASS and West Midlands Employers have launched a guide, published by Lester Aldridge Solicitors, which is available on the West Midlands Social Care International Recruitment Hub.
This guide includes:
- An overview of your obligations under UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) regulations.
- Guidance on meeting Right to Work requirements and preparing for UKVI compliance audits.
You can download a copy of the guide here:
http://irwestmids.co.uk/compliance-guide/
Birmingham City Council has Displaced Worker Support arrangements in place and details can be found here:
Displaced worker support | Birmingham City Council
Should contracted Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered care providers holding Skilled Worker Visa Sponsorship Licences want to be added (or removed) from the Recruitment Opportunities section (this section lists care providers who have indicated to Birmingham City Council that they will consider employing displaced workers if they have employment vacancies) please email Market Intelligence at marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk.
6 West Midlands Care Association (WMCA) - Displaced Workers Pool (Information for all West Midlands Care Providers)
Are you a care provider who is looking to employ overseas workers? Changes to legislation regarding overseas recruitment now require that you first engage with your regional displaced workers’ pool In the West Midlands, job matching through the Displaced Workers Pool is being provided by Lifted. This service is free of charge.
For further information please use this link
Proud to Care West Midlands - Displaced Individuals Employer Registration
Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
7 REMINDER SURVEY Birmingham Safeguarding Adults Board (BSAB) - Self-Neglect and Hoarding Survey DEADLINE 23 January 2026 (Information for all Birmingham Providers)
Birmingham Safeguarding Adults Board are keen to understand the level of awareness of the Birmingham Self-neglect and Hoarding Multi-Agency Guidance and Procedures among all relevant organisations.
They would greatly appreciate it if you could share your experiences and insights by completing their survey on MS Forms:
Self-Neglect and Hoarding Survey
Deadline is 23 January 2026
The feedback from the survey will feed into the process of reviewing the
Birmingham Self-neglect and Hoarding Multi-Agency Guidance and Procedures
which were implemented in winter 2022 across Birmingham.
Thank you for your time and cooperation. Your input will be invaluable in shaping the future of our practices.
8 REMINDER Skills for Care – Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) (Information for all Birmingham Providers)
Currently, Birmingham has one of the lowest uptake rates nationally for the
Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS)
a free service commissioned and funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) - currently ranking as 132 out of 152 LA’s.
Sign up using the link below:
your service will gain access to:
Funding for staff training access eligibility for funding opportunities through the:
Learning and Development Support Scheme (LDSS).
Safe and free storage of staff and training records. Define mandatory training for each role and receive alerts when training is expires.
Easy inspection readiness – securely share data with CQC and your Local Authority ready for inspections.
Benchmarking tools to benchmark your service against similar providers, help you stay competitive on pay, retention, and workforce planning.
Exclusive ASC-WDS Benefits Bundle to support your service further (including discounts on CQC focused seminars and eLearning modules from Skills for Care)
An ASC-WDS support team, available Mon-Fri 9am-5pm. You can reach them by calling 0113 241 0969 or emailing ascwds-support@skillsforcare.org.uk
Useful links below:
Video to find out more and read case studies from other enrolled care providers, as well as register and set up an account, using this link
www.skillsforcare.org.uk/ASCWDS
Eligible training courses and qualifications - GOV.UK
Learning and development funding for adult social care
9 QUESTIONNAIRE - Birmingham City Council Public Health - Learning Disabilities Housing Needs and Solutions Appendix – DEADLINE 6 February 2026 (Information for all Birmingham Providers)
The Evidence Team at Birmingham City Council Public Health are kindly requesting engagement with their BeHeard Professionals Questionnaire to inform their Learning Disabilities Housing Needs and Solutions Appendix. This report will explore the housing needs of citizens with learning disabilities in Birmingham and suggest potential solutions, to provide an evidence base to inform future commissioning.
The findings of the questionnaire will inform their report and the recommendations it provides to improve housing for citizens with learning disabilities in Birmingham.
The questionnaire can be accessed here:
(closing date: Friday, 6 February 2026).
If you have any questions or would like to further discuss the Learning Disabilities Housing Needs and Solutions Appendix, please contact Amy Coombs (amy.coombs@birmingham.gov.uk)
10. Community Care Collaborative Update - Connect Newsletter (Information for all Birmingham and Solihull Providers)
The latest newsletter for the Community Care Collaborative, is now available. Please take a moment to read the newsletter.
11. Skills for Care Updates for February 2026 (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 January 2026 (Information for Birmingham and Solihull Care Providers)
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:
27 January 2026 A mile in My Shoes - Dementia Awareness 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
29 January 2026 Ask the Experts: IR Changes & Workforce Compliance 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
29 January 2026 Palliative Care Emergencies 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
5 February 2026 Positive Behaviour Support 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
5 February 2026 Identifying a Dying Patient 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
5 February 2026 Registered Managers Forum and Skills for Care: Working together with Registered Managers in Solihull 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
5 February 2026 Continuing Health Care (CHC) Checklist Training (Feb 2026) 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
13. REMINDER West Midland Care Association – Data Security & Protection Toolkit Webinar 28 January 2026 (Information for all West Midlands Care Providers)
West Midlands Care Association (WMCA) have been successful in securing further DHSC funding support via the Better Security Better Care Programme (see link below) to support care providers with a variety of free resources to help develop and embed their digital and cyber security processes/best practice. They have created a series of four short virtual workshops/webinars which are mapped to the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) the first - Staffing & Roles – took place on 7 January 2026 with one each week thereafter, same date/time
DHSC funding support via the Better Security Better Care Programme
Last webinar of series - IT Systems and Devices – 28 January 2026
WMCA are also offering Digital Health Checks that take place on the provider’s premises. Although not yet ‘fully’ launched, you can view full details here:
14. Digital Care Hub and Care England - Upcoming Digital Care Hub Webinars: 4 and 25 February 2026 (Information for all Providers)
Smarter Social Care: AI in Action, 4 February 2026,11:00 am, Zoom. Explore safe, practical uses of AI in adult social care and dispel common myths.
Cyber in Care: Resilience, Recovery & Incident Response, 25 February 2026,12:00 pm, Zoom. Gain templates and checklists for continuity planning and incident response.
15. Skills for Care - Midlands Regional Conference - Evolving Together – 10 February 2026 (Information for all West Midlands Care Providers)
This year’s theme centres on the Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy, exploring how we can attract, retain, train, and transform our workforce to meet the challenges ahead. You’ll hear from inspiring speakers across the sector, discover best practice from across the region, and connect with peers who share your passion for delivering high-quality care.
10 February 2026 – 10:00am – 3:30pm – Birmingham
Please use this link to book your place