What's New Bulletin 286 - 19 February 2026
This is edition 286 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 Birmingham City Council - Business Continuity Arrangements (Information for all care providers)
2. Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) - Get Adult Social Care Data (GASCD) (Information for all Providers)
3. REMINDER Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) The Winter 25/26 Flu Campaign (Information for all Providers)
4. REMINDER Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC): Building Winter Resilience in Local Systems (Information for all Providers)
5. Skills for Care - Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy - Action in Focus (Information for all Providers)
6. Community Care Collaborative Update - Connect Newsletter (Information for all Birmingham and Solihull Providers)
7. REMINDER NHS Birmingham and Solihull (BSOL) Training Hub February 2026 (Information for Birmingham and Solihull Care Providers)
8. REMINDER Digital Care Hub and Care England - Upcoming Digital Care Hub Webinar: 25 February 2026 (Information for all Providers)
9. REMINDER Birmingham City Council - Powered by People – Your Support Needed for the 26 February 2026 Summit (Information for all Birmingham Providers)
10. REMINDER Skills for Care ASC-WDS Workshops – March 2026 (Information for all Birmingham Providers)
11. Skills for Care – The Managers Conference 2026 – 9 to 10 March 2026 (Information for all Providers)
1. 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:
Compliance Guide – IR West Midlands
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.
2. Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) - Get Adult Social Care Data (GASCD) (Information for all Providers)
Understand more about local population needs and get the insights you need to plan and grow your care services with Get Adult Social Care Data (GASCD) a new, free digital service for CQC-registered care providers from the DHSC. Developed with input from providers, it gives you instant access to data and trends for your area, region and across England.
Among other things, use GASCD to:
- Compare your bed occupancy with local averages
- Explore disability prevalence by area
- See what services are in demand
Nominated Individuals for care provider organisations can sign up now for early access to GASCD using this link:
sign up now for early access to GASCD
Nominated individuals who join this early access list will be invited to join the service from February onwards. If you are not the CQC nominated individual for your organisation, let them know about this opportunity. Later in the year, nominated individuals will be able to add their team members to the service too.
Watch a demo to see how GASCD can help you:
Demo for home care and supported living locations
For any questions contact getadultsocialcaredata.team@dhsc.gov.uk.
3. 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
4. REMINDER Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC): 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.
5. Skills for Care - Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy - Action in Focus (Information for all Providers)
Please use this link to the new Action in Focus report, from the Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy, which brings together the latest progress and activity from across the Adult Social Care sector partnership.
Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy
It includes what has been learned and is designed as a resource for the system to use going forward.
6. Community Care Collaborative Update - Connect Newsletter (Information for all Birmingham and Solihull Providers)
The latest Newsletter | Website, the newsletter for the Community Care Collaborative, is now available. Please take a moment to read the newsletter.
7. REMINDER NHS Birmingham and Solihull (BSOL) Training Hub February 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:
23 February 2026 Recording and Reporting 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
24 February 2026 Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism – in person training – tier 2 9:30 am - 4:00 pm
24 February 2026 Tier 3 Free Education Offer – Intro to End of Life 10:30 am - 11:30 am
25 February 2026 Tier 3 Free Education Offer – Intro to Dementia 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
3 March 2026 Medication Management 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
4 March 2026 Catheter Care 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
5 March 2026 ReSPECT Forms 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
5 March 2026 Continuing Health Care (CHC) Checklist Training (March 2026) 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
8. REMINDER Digital Care Hub and Care England - Upcoming Digital Care Hub Webinar: 25 February 2026 (Information for all Providers)
Cyber in Care: Resilience, Recovery & Incident Response, 25 February 2026,12:00 pm, Zoom. Gain templates and checklists for continuity planning and incident response. Please use this link to book a place
Cyber in Care : Resilience, Recovery & Incident Response - Digital Care Hub
9. REMINDER Birmingham City Council - Powered by People – Your Support Needed for the 26 February 2026 Summit (Information for all Birmingham Providers)
Powered by People: Birmingham’s Co‑Production Summit will take place on 26 February 2026 at the Council House Banqueting Suite and will launch the next phase of co‑production across the city.
This Summit forms a key milestone in Birmingham City Council’s commitment to putting lived experience at the heart of everything they do and brings together citizens, carers and families to help shape the future of Adult Social Care in Birmingham.
Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
Can you please bring this to the attention of people using your service.
Whilst the event is open to citizens only, organisations that wish to participate can contact Atrin.Conway@birmingham.gov.uk directly for further information.
10. REMINDER Skills for Care ASC-WDS Workshops – March 2026 (Information for all Birmingham Providers)
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 130 out of 152 LA’s. Skills for Care are holding workshops for providers to create an ASC-WDS account and access funding.
The next sessions are:
Wednesday, 4 March 2026 – 10:00am -11:00am
Friday, 27 March 2026 – 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
Contact attiya.kausar@skillsforcare.org.uk for more information
The Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) is a free online data collection service that covers the adult social care workforce in England. Data from ASC-WDS is used by key decision makers and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) when planning, funding and monitoring the sector.
An active ASC-WDS account is a requirement for accessing training reimbursement schemes such as the Learning & Development support scheme (LDSS). This service helps employers reclaim costs for care staff training, including qualifications, diplomas, and short courses. Please see attached for details of the benefits of having an account.
Providers have until the end of March 2026 to apply for LDSS.
11. Skills for Care – The Managers Conference 2026 – 9 to 10 March 2026 (Information for all Providers)
Monday 9 March to Tuesday 10 March 2026 | Wyboston Lakes Resort, Bedfordshire
The Managers Conference, hosted by Skills for Care and the National Care Forum, is back for another year — a dedicated event for social care managers to connect, learn and solve everyday challenges.
The conference features a packed programme of keynote speakers, workshops and panel sessions plus a bustling exhibition featuring quality suppliers showcasing key solutions to support social care managers.
With a dynamic and creative programme, this is a valuable opportunity to share experiences and gain fresh ideas to help you and your teams deliver the highest quality care.
This event is always a sell-out