What's New Bulletin 290 - 19 March 2026
This is edition 290 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. Birmingham City Council, Supporting care home residents to vote on 7 May 2026 (information for Birmingham care homes)
2. REMINDER Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) - Get Adult Social Care Data (GASCD) (Information for all Providers)
3. REMINDER Care Quality Commission (CQC) Assessment Framework Engagement Events - Spring 2026 – Expressions of Interest by 20 March 2026 (Information for all Providers)
4. REMINDER UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Reporting Tool and Response Process for Acute Respiratory Infections in Adult Social Care (Information for all West Midlands Care Providers)
5. REMINDER NHS Birmingham and Solihull (BSOL) Training Hub March 2026 (Information for Birmingham and Solihull Care Providers)
6. Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) - Mental Capacity Act (MCA) Training Course for Senior Staff and Managers 21 and 22 March 2026 (Information for all Providers)
7. Aquarius Recovery from Gambling Harms conference (all Birmingham providers)
8. REMINDER The Queens Institute of Community Nursing ~Adult Social Care Nursing Network – Online Meeting, 24 March 2026 (Information for Care Homes with Nursing)
9. REMINDER Birmingham Hospice and Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board (BSOL ICB) - SPUR – The Specialist Palliative Urgent Response Service (SPUR) Drop-in Session 25 March 2026 (Information for all Birmingham and Solihull Providers)
10. REMINDER Skills for Care ASC-WDS Workshop – 27 March 2026 (Information for all Birmingham Providers)
1. Birmingham City Council, Supporting care home residents to vote on 7 May 2026 (information for Birmingham care homes)
Birmingham City Council are requesting the support of care home providers to enable service users to vote and take part in the upcoming election on 7 May 2026. The Electoral Commission have developed guidance to help care staff support the people they care for to vote;
IER - Supporting Applicants to Register.
There are also resources available for voting in England in a number of different languages and aimed at people with different needs; including people who are blind and partially sighted, deaf or hard of hearing and people with learning disabilities and/or autism;
Resources to support specific groups | Electoral Commission
Important dates in the upcoming election are;
- Tuesday 24 March 2026 - poll cards will be sent to inform your residents where their polling station is
- Friday 10 April 2026 - the final list of candidates who are standing and will appear on the ballot papers will be published
- Monday 20 April 2026 - the deadline for residents to register to vote in this election
- Tuesday 21 April 2026 5:00pm - the deadline for residents to apply for a postal vote.
You can find more information about the different ways service users can vote on our how to vote pages.
The Council’s citizen engagement team have offered to run an online webinar for Care Home managers on supporting residents to vote. To express an interest, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk by Friday 27 March. If there is sufficient interest, details of the webinar will be shared via this bulletin.
2. REMINDER 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 Care Quality Commission (CQC) Assessment Framework Engagement Events - Spring 2026 – Expressions of Interest by 20 March 2026 (Information for all Providers)
The CQC are inviting you to express your interest in joining there upcoming Assessment Framework Engagement Events this spring.These sessions mark the next stage in the development of the CQC’s assessment frameworks and methodology. They’re designed not only to share our progress but also to continue shaping this work collaboratively with those who will use and be impacted by it.
These sessions are cross sector but there will be sector specific elements throughout the day.
Please note these will be all day events, starting at 10.30am and finishing at 4pm.
- Manchester | Tuesday 14 April 2026
- Birmingham | Wednesday 22 April 2026
- London | Tuesday 12 May 2026
- Online session | Wednesday 6 May 2026 (for those unable to attend in person)
At this stage, they’re collecting expressions of interest only. Please complete the form below before Friday 20 March 2026.
Assessment Framework engagement events
You will be notified by Tuesday 24 March 2026 if your place is confirmed.
If you have any questions, feel free to email cqcevents@cqc.org.uk
4. REMINDER UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Reporting Tool and Response Process for Acute Respiratory Infections in Adult Social Care (Information for all West Midlands Care 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.
If you are not able to complete the form, please dial 03442253560 and press option 2.
5. REMINDER NHS Birmingham and Solihull (BSOL) Training Hub March 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 the link below 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:
20 March 2026 Managing Dysphagia Workshops 9:30 am -3:00 pm
23 March 2026 Preparing for a Cyber Incident: Tools and Tips for the Care Sector 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
23 March 2026 Exploitation in International Recruitment: “Working Together: Multi-Agency Responses to Exploitation” 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm
25 March 2026 BSOL ICB Clinical Quality Assurance Team – Achieving Excellence Together 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
26 March 2026 Positive Behaviour Support 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
26 March 2026 Ethical Dilemmas at EoL 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
6. Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) - Mental Capacity Act (MCA) Training Course for Senior Staff and Managers 21 and 22 March 2026 (Information for all Providers)
This Continuing Professional Development (CPD)-accredited training course will give you better knowledge and understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) for senior staff and managers. The training will take place Thursday 21 and Friday 22 May 2026. Please follow the link for further information and to enrol.
Mental Capacity Act (MCA) training course for senior staff and managers - SCIE
7. Aquarius Recovery from Gambling Harms conference (all Birmingham providers)
This insight and support event is shared by our commissioned support provider Aquarius Birmingham. Please feel welcome to share with citizens, staff, friends and family you know who are impacted by gambling.
Recovery from Gambling Harms - 24 March 2026 Edgbaston Cricket Ground
8. REMINDER The Queens Institute of Community Nursing ~Adult Social Care Nursing Network – Online Meeting, 24 March 2026 (Information for Care Homes with Nursing)
The next Adult Social Care Nursing Network meeting will be held on Zoom, 24 March 2026, 2:00–4:00pm. Booking password: 1327290725.
Adult Social Care Nursing Network Meeting Tickets, Tue 24 Mar 2026 at 14:00 | Eventbrite
9. REMINDER Birmingham Hospice and Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board (BSOL ICB) - SPUR – The Specialist Palliative Urgent Response Service (SPUR) Drop-in Session 25 March 2026 (Information for all Birmingham and Solihull Providers)
The Specialist Palliative Urgent Response Service (SPUR) has been officially launched across Birmingham and Solihull. This is a brand‑new 24/7 service designed to ensure people can quickly and easily access specialist end‑of‑life and palliative care in the comfort of their own homes, surrounded by the people and places that matter most.
Launched on Monday 12 January 2026, SPUR is here to transform how urgent palliative care is delivered. Operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the service is available to patients, families, and healthcare professionals. Whether offering expert advice, signposting to the right support, or arranging a home visit within two hours, SPUR ensures help is always just a phone call away.
Patients already supported by an NHS or hospice service should continue contacting their usual team during daytime hours. Anyone not currently under an existing service, or anyone needing urgent help when their usual service is unavailable, can contact SPUR for timely specialist support.
Please use the link below for further information
Specialist Palliative Urgent Response Team (SPUR) - Birmingham Hospice
Throughout March there will be drop‑in sessions, where you can learn more about SPUR, meet some of the team, and ask any questions you may have. Please see link below for the last session.
SPUR Drop-in Session 25 March 2026 2:00pm-3:00pm
For further information, please contact kellie.owen@birminghamhospice.org.uk
10. REMINDER Skills for Care ASC-WDS Workshop – 27 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.
Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS)
The next session is Friday, 27 March 2026 – 10:00am -11:00am
Please see attached or 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.
Key Points: 60% reimbursed and 40% paid on completion. Funding covers non-regulated staff, registered Managers and agency workers
The Learning and Development Support Scheme (LDSS) closes on 31 March 2026. Please use the link below to claim your funding