1. Infection Control Fund 2 – Final year end spend returns – URGENT ACTION REQUIRED (information for all care providers with a CQC location in Birmingham)
2. Rapid Testing Fund - Final year end spend returns – URGENT ACTION REQUIRED (Information for all care homes in Birmingham)
3. Workforce Capacity Fund - Final year end spend returns – URGENT ACTION REQUIRED (Information for all care providers with a CQC location in Birmingham)
4. Updated Government guidance: Supported living services during coronavirus (COVID-19) (Information for all supported living providers)
5. Department of Health and Social Care – Care staff employment survey (Information for all care providers)
6. Skills for Care resources funded recruitment and development initiatives (Information for all care providers)
7. Care Quality Commission report published: Protect, respect, connect – decisions about living and dying well during COVID-19 (Information for all care providers)
8. UPDATE Workforce testing programme expands to offer free rapid home testing (Information for supported living and extra care sheltered housing providers)
9. Care Quality Commission campaign: Because we all care: people with a learning disability and autistic people (Information for all care providers)
10. Resources to support Care Home visiting (Information for all care home providers)
11. Message from the Department of Health and Social Care to all users of the Capacity Tracker (Information for all care providers)
12. Capacity Tracker – Provider Q and A session feedback (Information for all care providers)

1.Infection Control Fund 2 – Final year end spend returns – URGENT ACTION REQUIRED (information for all care providers with a CQC location in Birmingham)

Further to the distribution of the Infection Control Fund 2 grant, all recipient providers are required to report how they have spent the funding so that the Council can declare this to the Department of Health and Social Care . All providers in receipt of the grant must complete by 19 April 2021 the appropriate form declaring final spend up to 31 March 2021. Any undeclared spending must be returned to the Council. Please use the links to the forms below:

Infection Control Fund spending return - Care Homes

Infection Control Fund spending return - Community Care locations

2.Rapid Testing Fund - Final year end spend returns – URGENT ACTION REQUIRED (Information for all care homes in Birmingham)

Further to the distribution of the Rapid Testing Fund grant, all recipient providers are required to report how they have spent the funding so that the Council can declare this to the Department of Health and Social Care . All providers in receipt of the grant must complete by 19 April 2021 the appropriate form declaring final spend up to 31 March 2021. Any undeclared spending must be returned to the Council. Please use the links to the forms below:

Rapid Testing Fund spending return

3.Workforce Capacity Fund - Final year end spend returns – URGENT ACTION REQUIRED (Information for all care providers with a CQC location in Birmingham)

Further to the distribution of the Workforce Capacity Fund grant, all recipient providers are required to report how they have spent the funding so that the Council can declare this to the Department of Health and Social Care . All providers in receipt of the grant must complete by 19 April 2021 the appropriate form declaring final spend up to 31 March 2021. Any undeclared spending must be returned to the Council. Please use the links to the forms below:

Workforce Capacity Fund spending return - Care Homes

Workforce Capacity Fund spending return - Community Care locations

4.Updated government guidance: Supported living services during coronavirus (COVID-19) (Information for all supported living providers)

The following guidance has been update. The ‘Visitors and support bubbles’ section has been replaced with the new ‘Visits in and out of supported living settings’ section.

The full guidance can be reviewed below:

Supported living services during coronavirus (COVID-19)

5.Department of Health and Social Care – Care staff employment survey (Information for all care providers)

DHSC are looking for care colleagues to complete a short survey, as part of their work in understanding how they find employment. The results will help them evaluate the best methods to reach job-seekers who want to work in care.

Please share this anonymous survey with care colleagues by clicking the link below. It should take no longer than ten minutes to complete.

DHSC would also like job-seekers to take part in one-to-one interviews on this topic. To find out more, contact marta.baigorri@nhs.net.

6.Skills for Care resources funded recruitment and development initiatives (Information for all care providers)

There are various funded recruitment and development initiatives currently available to support adult social care employers recruit and develop new workers. The pre-employment initiatives support employers to identify potential new talent while providing the participant with an insight into your organisation and the adult social care sector.

For further information, please see below:

Skills for Care funded recruitment and development initiatives

7.Care Quality Commission report published: Protect, respect, connect – decisions about living and dying well during COVID-19 (Information for all care providers)

The CQC conducted a review into the use of ‘do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation’ (DNACPR) decisions during the coronavirus pandemic. DNACPRs also known as DNRs and DNARs. The review found worrying variation in people’s experiences of DNACPR decisions during the pandemic. Although there were examples of good practice, they also heard from people who had not been properly involved in decisions, or were unaware that such an important decision about their care had been made.

The CQC make a number of recommendations in the report, including that a ministerial oversight group must be set up to look in depth at the issues.

Read the full report below:

Protect, respect, connect - decisions about living and dying well during COVID-19

8.UPDATE Workplace testing programme expands to offer free rapid home testing (information for supported living and extra care sheltered housing providers)

In the next major push for the Government’s workplace testing programme, all employers will now be able to offer their employees free, rapid and regular testing that can be taken at home. Read the Government’s press release below:

Workplace testing programme expands to offer free rapid home testing

9.Care Quality Commission campaign: Because we all care: people with a learning disability and autistic people (Information for all care providers)

‘Because we all care’ is a joint campaign with CQC and Healthwatch. The campaign encourages people to share feedback on their experiences of care. This is important because we know this helps services identify issues and improve care for everyone.

You can hear from Brian, who talks about how he spoke out when he wasn't happy with his care, and how this improved the way he was treated.

Because we all care campaign

10.Resources to support Care Home visiting (Information for all care home providers)

The Better Care Fund has created two new animations, explaining how current COVID-19 care home visiting arrangements work, the benefits they bring for all parties and what to do when visitors or staff test positive. You can watch the animations below:

Visiting a care home resident

Reopening care homes for visitors (guidance for staff)

11.Message from the Department of Health and Social Care to all users of the Capacity Tracker (Information for all care providers)

The full message has been circulated to care providers, but in summary:

• Recognition of your efforts in updating the capacity tracker to help national oversight of the pandemic and the impact on care providers.
• Capacity Tracker collection will continue and the pending extension of the Infection Control Fund and Rapid Testing Fund (read the announcement here) is expected to make access to the fund conditional on timely completion of the Capacity Tracker
• From April 2021 care providers will be able to access more views of data to enable you to understand your data against national, regional and local aggregate data.
• From mid-April, there will likely be some new data requirements with specific reference to Covid vaccination 2nd dose uptake, but wherever possible some questions will be removed where they are no longer needed
• Further on in the year there will be a review of Capacity Tracker and the data is gathers from you.

12.Capacity Tracker – Provider Q and A session feedback (Information for all care providers)

Due to system changes, the Resource Centre is not available to house the slide deck from the provider Q&A session on 30/03/2021. The slides have been circulated to care providers, but if you have not received a copy you can get one by emailing market.intelligence@birmingham.gov.uk

Normal updating onto the Resource Centre will resume from Monday 12 April when the new provider aggregate data is then available.