1.  REMINDER Birmingham City Council and Birmingham Children's Trust are Moving to a New Finance System and Will not be Making Routine Payments Between 20 July and 18 August 2026 (Information for All Providers with BCC Funded Citizens)

2.  REMINDER Birmingham City Council - Home Support and Supported Living Market Intelligence Questionnaire (MIQ) DEADLINE 28 July 2026 – (Information for all Providers Holding the Home Support 2024 and Supported Living 2023 Contracts)

3.  REMINDER Birmingham City Council - Care Homes Market Intelligence Questionnaire (MIQ) – July 2026 – DEADLINE 31 July 2026 (Information for all Birmingham and Contracted Care Homes)

4.  NHS Birmingham and Solihull (BSOL) - ResMed Astral Ventilator Safety Update (Information for all Providers)

5.  NHS England - The Patient Safety Syllabus is available for all Staff Working in Care Homes (Information for all Birmingham and Solihull Care Providers) 

6.  Skills for Care - Size and Structure of the Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce in England Report 2025/26 (Information for all Providers)

7.  Skills for Care - Adult Social Care Workforce Pathway – Further Roles Added (Information for all Birmingham and Solihull Providers)

8.  REMINDER Skills for Care – Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) (Information for all Birmingham Providers)

9.  REMINDER CONSULTATION Birmingham City Council – Ageing Well Strategy Consultation Survey – DEADLINE 28 July 2026 (Information for all Birmingham Providers)

10.  Skills for Care Updates for August 2026 (Information for all Birmingham and Solihull Providers)

11.  REMINDER Birmingham and Solihull Training Hub – Training Dates in July – September 2026 (Information for Birmingham and Solihull Care Homes)

1.  REMINDER Birmingham City Council and Birmingham Children's Trust are Moving to a New Finance System and Will not be Making Routine Payments Between 20 July and 18 August 2026 (Information for All Providers with BCC Funded Citizens)

Home Support and Supported Living Providers paid by invoice

For Home Support and Supported Living Providers that invoice the Council, you should have already submitted your invoices for the period 27/03 and these are currently being processed.

To avoid delays to your payments, it is essential that invoices are submitted as set out below.

Key Submission Dates

Schedule No.	Invoice Period	Invoice to be submitted to BCC by	Payment to be processed by BCC by
27/03	25 May 2026 – 21 June 2026	6 July 2026	1 August 2026
27/04	22 June 2026 – 19 July 2026	3 August 2026	29 August 2026

Action Required

For services provided between 22 June 2026 and 19 July 2026, compliant invoices must be received no later than: 3 August 2026

Send invoices to:  Home.Support.Payments.Team@birmingham.gov.uk

Why This Matters

If invoices are submitted late, or are returned due to missing information, payment may be delayed.

Following the finance system migration, payments will resume from 18 August 2026 and will be processed as quickly as possible.

For Care Homes and Supported Living Providers paid by Autopay

For care homes and supported living providers that are paid automatically by the Council, payments for the period 27/05 will be made early in line with the below schedule:

Schedule No.	Invoice Period	PTP Run	Release	BACs Run
27/05	13 July 2026 – 9 August 2026	13 July 2026	17 July 2026	20 July 2026
27/06	10 August 2026 – 6 September 2026	17 August 2026	21 August 2026	24 August 2026

This means for the period 13 July 2026 – 9 August 2026, you should receive cleared funds by no later than 24 July 2026.  There are currently no changes planned for the payment period 27/06 due to be released on 24 August 2026.

You will continue to receive standard payment remittances, however more detailed Care First remittances are currently on a request only basis.  After the 18 August, it is hoped that routine Care First remittances will be provided.

Financial Difficulties During the Transition Period

If, between 20 July and 18 August 2026, you experience financial difficulties that may affect your ability to continue providing care and support, please contact:  marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk

Thank you for your cooperation and support during this transition.

2.  REMINDER Birmingham City Council - Home Support and Supported Living Market Intelligence Questionnaire (MIQ) DEADLINE 28 July 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 – July 2026

The deadline for completion is Tuesday, 28 July 2026

A pdf copy of the questionnaire is attached for reference, and to assist in collecting the data required. It must not be used to submit your answers to us.

The questionnaire is issued quarterly. The attached briefing gives details of the questions, information about our approach, and how the data we are asking for will be used.

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.

3.  REMINDER Birmingham City Council - Care Homes Market Intelligence Questionnaire (MIQ) – July 2026 – DEADLINE 31 July 2026 (Information for all Birmingham and Contracted Care Homes)

Please click this link to access the questionnaire:

Care Home MIQ July 2026

The deadline for completion is Friday 31 July 2026

Please note that a new system is being used to collect the data. This is explained in the attached briefing. Because of the change, three weeks is being allowed for completion on this occasion.

This questionnaire is issued quarterly. Details of the questions are included in the attached briefing a long with how the information we collect is used.

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 questionnaire

4.  NHS Birmingham and Solihull (BSOL) - ResMed Astral Ventilator Safety Update (Information for all Providers)

Please be aware of an important safety notice affecting certain ResMed Astral 100 and Astral 150 Ventilators manufactured before October 2024. While the issue is rare, it may lead to interruption of ventilation therapy. Providers are asked to review affected devices, ensure patients have appropriate backup arrangements, and follow the manufacturer’s guidance for inspection and reporting. Please see attached for further information.

5.  NHS England - The Patient Safety Syllabus is available for all Staff Working in Care Homes (Information for all Birmingham and Solihull Care Providers) 

The Patient Safety Syllabus e-learning educational modules which are available for all staff within the NHS and Social care. Completion of Levels 1 and 2 are strongly recommended for staff working in nursing homes to raise awareness of the importance of patient safety and its impact on patient care. The training is free to all staff and each level takes around 30 minutes to complete, Level 1, Essentials for patient safety, is the starting point for learners, Level 2, Access to practice, is intended for those who have an interest in understanding more about patient safety or who want to go on to access the higher levels of training. Further information can be found attached and at:

Patient Safety | NHS England | Workforce, training and education

6.  Skills for Care - Size and Structure of the Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce in England Report 2025/26 (Information for all Providers)

Please use this link to Skills for Care’s annual report:

Size and Structure of the adult social care sector and workforce in England 

It provides a comprehensive overview of the size and composition of the adult social care workforce and includes information relating to workforce supply and demand, international recruitment, and statistics on the wider economy.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch - Jamie.bloomfield@skillsforcare.org.uk.

7.  Skills for Care - Adult Social Care Workforce Pathway – Further Roles Added (Information for all Birmingham and Solihull Providers)

Following the recent news on the 2-year anniversary of the launch of the National Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy, new job roles that have been added to the Care Workforce Pathway (CWP) after ongoing work with sector stakeholders. 

Care Workforce Pathway (CWP)

These roles include:

1. Activity Coordinator
2. Care Technologist
3. Nominated Individual
4. Corporate Management
5. Learning and Development Practitioner
6. Quality Assurance Lead
7. Administrator
8. Catering
9. Domestic
10. Maintenance person

Since the pathway was first published in January 2024, employers who have implemented it have reported:

• more confident managers
• staff feeling more valued and clearer about their development
• more consistent appraisals
• improved recruitment and retention
• reduced workforce churn

Tools and resources to support organisations looking to adopt the pathway are available here:

care workforce pathway section of the Skills for Care website

If you would like to discuss further or have any questions, please contact Jamie Bloomfield Jamie.bloomfield@skillsforcare.org.uk

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:

Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS)

A free service commissioned and funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

By signing up your service will gain access to the following:

signing up 

• Funding for staff training access eligibility for funding opportunities through:

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:

 Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set  

Eligible training courses and qualifications - GOV.UK

Learning and development funding for adult social care

9.  REMINDER CONSULTATION Birmingham City Council – Ageing Well Strategy Consultation Survey – DEADLINE 28 July 2026 (Information for all Birmingham Providers)

Birmingham Public Health have launched their Ageing Well Survey – and need your voice to help shape a Birmingham where everyone can age with dignity, independence and connection.

As our city’s older population grows, it’s vital that the services, spaces and support truly reflect what people need – and the best way to do that is by hearing directly from you.  The survey is quick to complete, but your feedback will have a long‑lasting impact.  Please use the link below to complete the survey.

Ageing Well Strategy Consultation Survey - Birmingham City Council - Citizen Space

If you want to find out where engagement events are taking place, please email: AgeingWell@Birmingham.gov.uk

10.  Skills for Care Updates for August 2026 (Information for all Birmingham and Solihull Providers)

Please find attached Skills for Care updates for August 2026.

Headlines include:

• The Training Hub by Skills for Care- NEW courses added
• NEW: Applications now open for the Care Workforce Pathway Care Provider Support Programme
• Birmingham and Solihull Registered Managers Network meeting
• BBCS ICS Social Care & Independent Sector Faculty information
• Skills for Care National and Regional Events in July
• Other Partner News

11.  REMINDER Birmingham and Solihull Training Hub – Training Dates in July – September 2026 (Information for Birmingham and Solihull Care Homes)

Have you visited the Birmingham and Solihull training hub website yet?  You can view information as someone working in a primary or social care role in the Solihull / Birmingham area, as a student looking for support with career development or as a visitor wanting to find out more.

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:

24 July 2026 IPC Champions Training Day 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

7 September 2026 Advance Care Planning 9:30 am - 12:30 pm

7 September 2026 Foundations in adult palliative and end of life care – 4-day programme 9:00 am – 4:00 pm 

• 23 September 2026 9:30 am – 4:00 pm
• 6 October 2026 9:30 am - 3:00 pm
• 29 October 2026 12:00 pm - 5:15 pm

7 September 2026 Assessment and Care Planning 1:00 pm - 2:15 pm

7 September 2026 Care in the Dying Phase 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm