What's New Bulletin 179 - 11 January 2024
This is edition 179 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. COVID and Flu vaccinations: current vaccination campaign ending 31 January 2024 (information for all providers)
2. UPDATED Yellow Cold Health Alert extended until 18 January 2024 (information for all providers)
3. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Norovirus Toolkit: A resource for Care Homes (information for all care homes)
4. Capacity Tracker DHSC Submission January- Information Regarding Providers DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION 15 January 2024 (information for all providers)
5. CONSULTATION Care Quality Commission (CQC) guidance on visiting in care homes, hospitals and hospices ion on our guidance on visiting in care homes, hospitals and hospices DEADLINE 20 February 2024 (information for all care homes)
6. REMINDER Launch of UKHSA reporting tool and response process for Acute Respiratory Infections in adult social care (information for all West Midlands providers)
7. An improved digital experience from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to help keep your provider information up to date (information for all providers)
8. People for Public Services: Working together to improve air quality, for a brighter fresher future 23 January 2024 (information for all Birmingham providers)
9. Hodge Hill Neighbourhood Network Scheme (NNS) Showcase event 30 January 2024 (information for providers in Hodge Hill)
10. REMINDER Skills for Care: Midlands activity provision network 15 February 2024 2:00pm - 4:00pm (information for West Midlands care homes)
11. REMINDER Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board: Shared decision making 17 January 2024 (information for all Birmingham and Solihull providers)
12. REMINDER Carers Education Day: Bladder and Bowel Training for carers 2 February 2024 (information for West Midlands care homes)
1. COVID and Flu vaccinations: current vaccination campaign ending 31 January 2024 (information for all providers)
Protecting yourself against serious illness during the winter months is of paramount importance, and vaccination serves as an essential component in achieving this goal. This year, individuals who fall within the following categories are eligible to receive COVID and Flu vaccinations: those over the age of 65, individuals with conditions that place them at greater risk from COVID and Flu, residents of care homes, frontline health, or social care workers. The current campaign will end on Wednesday 31 January 2024.
A list of locations where walk-in COVID vaccines can be received without an appointment can be found on the following website:
https://www.birminghamandsolihullvaccination.nhs.uk/walk-in/
It is safe to receive both the COVID and Flu vaccines at the same time, and individuals may also be offered the flu vaccine.
Vaccinations continue to provide the most effective protection against serious illness and hospitalisation due to COVID-19 and flu, and it is crucial that individuals take advantage of this protection when offered and encourage eligible loved ones to do the same.
The UK Health Security Agency is also encouraging those at higher risk of flu and COVID-19 to make a new year’s resolution to get winter strong. Read their full message here;
Eligible groups urged to get vaccinated against flu and COVID-19
2. UPDATED Yellow Cold Health Alert extended until 18 January 2024 (information for all providers)
A Yellow Cold Health Alert has been issued by the Met Office (see link below) for the West Midlands and is in effect between 11 January 2024 at 12:00 and 18 January 2024 at 12:00.
This weather could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services. Please share the following information with your staff, service users, communities and partner networks to help ensure that citizens – particularly those who are most vulnerable - are adequately prepared. Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
|
Region |
Overall Risk Score |
Expected Impacts at Regional Level |
|---|---|---|
|
West Midlands |
Level 2 (Yellow) |
Minor impacts are probable across the health and social care sector, including: increased use of healthcare services by the vulnerable population; increase in risk of mortality amongst vulnerable individuals. |
Sign up to the Met Office email alert service
Additional useful links to guidance include:
Weather-Health Alert Dashboard
BCC staying safe during severe weather
NHS Vaccination and Winter Heath Guidance
3. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Norovirus Toolkit: A resource for Care Homes (information for all care homes)
Norovirus, also called ‘winter vomiting disease’ because it usually occurs during the winter months, is the most frequent cause of infectious gastroenteritis in England and Wales and affects 600,000 to one million people in the United Kingdom every year.
Cases usually start to appear during the autumn, peaking during January. The symptoms usually last from 12 to 60 hours and will start with the sudden onset of nausea followed by projectile vomiting and diarrhoea.
Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. To request a copy, email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
4. Capacity Tracker DHSC Submission January- Information Regarding Providers DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION 15 January 2024 (information for all providers)
You must update the mandatory data sets within the Capacity Tracker by the data submission deadline this month 15 January 2024.
Support remains available to new and existing providers who may require assistance:
- NECS Capacity Tracker Support Centre: necsu.capacitytracker@nhs.netor by calling the Support Centre (8am-5pm Mon-Fri, excluding public holidays) on 0191 691 3729
- NECS provider support and awareness sessions are to help guide providers through the information requests, update methods and reports – they are informal events to offer providers the opportunity to raise any questions or queries.
- Dates for future sessions are available using the following link:
- Resource Centre
5. CONSULTATION Care Quality Commission (CQC) guidance on visiting in care homes, hospitals and hospices ion on our guidance on visiting in care homes, hospitals and hospices DEADLINE 20 February 2024 (information for all care homes)
The CQC are consulting on their proposed guidance to help providers and other stakeholders understand and meet the new fundamental standard on visiting and accompanying in care homes, hospitals, and hospices and their roles and responsibilities under it. The guidance also sets out what people using health and social care services and their families, friends or advocates can expect. Please see te links below.
This follows the government’s consultation during summer 2023 which found that most people supported the proposal to introduce a fundamental standard on visiting and being accompanied on
This consultation is limited to the CQC guidance about the new fundamental standard. It does not cover the scope and content of the visiting legislation itself, which was subject to a separate consultation by the government last year.
Given the timescales the government has set out for the regulation to come into force on 6 April 2024, the deadline for responses to the CQC consultation is midday on Tuesday 20 February 2024.
The CQC have published their draft guidance on our website and invite members of the public and providers, their representatives, and other stakeholders to give their feedback through the online form or easy read version:
6. REMINDER Launch of UKHSA reporting tool and response process for Acute Respiratory Infections in adult social care (information for all West Midlands providers)
A new online Outbreak Risk Assessment Tool for Care Settings (Care OBRA Tool) is being piloted by UKHSA WM HPT (West Midlands Health Protection Team) from December 2023.
It is for use by Adult Social Care (ASC) settings for reporting new outbreaks of Acute Respiratory Infections (ARIs) including COVID-19, and unidentified ARI (e.g. chest infections).
- It will also be used for reporting BOTH single cases AND outbreaks of Influenza
- It will not be used for: Single COVID-19 and single ARI (unknown micro- organism) cases (these do not need reporting), nor updates of existing outbreaks, nor reporting of non-ARI outbreaks e.g. norovirus
- It will not be used by: Children’s Care Homes, any healthcare setting that is not ASC (including Hospitals, Hospices, Dental surgeries, GP surgeries)
This new 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;
Care Outbreak Risk Assessment (Care OBRA) Tool
Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. To request a copy, email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
7. An improved digital experience from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to help keep your provider information up to date (information for all providers)
The CQC are rolling out a new regulatory approach that will deliver a more regularly updated view of quality. Central to this is ensuring they have the best quality information from health and social care providers, including statutory notifications.
To make it easier and quicker for you to share information with the CQC, they are introducing a range of new digital services, including a new provider portal. The CQC have started to invite small groups of providers to use the new portal and they will make it available to all providers by the end of March 2024.
Here's what to do to get ready for these changes:
- Make sure all the contact details we hold for your organisation are correct (See link below)
- Watch the introduction to our new provider portal (see link below)
- As soon as you receive an invite, sign up to our new portal
Introduction to our new provider portal
8. People for Public Services: Working together to improve air quality, for a brighter fresher future 23 January 2024 (information for all Birmingham providers)
People for Public Services would like to invite you to its next meeting on: Tuesday 23 January 11:00am to 12:30pm. This is an online meeting.
Birmingham City Council (BCC) is the largest urban local authority in the UK and the largest council in Europe with a population of over 1 million residents, making it the most densely populated of the West Midlands’ local authorities. The city has a complex road network, four motorways, and many homes and businesses.
Poor air quality in the city has a direct impact on health and the economy, contributing to hundreds of early, preventable deaths and making many existing health conditions worse. Poor air quality has the biggest impact on the poorest and most vulnerable in our communities, including children.
BCC wants everyone in the city to be part of the journey to improving the air we breathe. Our Clean Air Strategy (see link below) outlines BCC’s commitment to work towards a greener future for the city and our communities. Our ambition is to create an environment where people can live and work to their full potential without the threat of this entirely preventable pollution.
In this meeting we want to hear your views and your ideas on:
- What does it mean for you to be living in a greener, fresher city
- How can we raise awareness of the impact of poor air quality to make it clear why action is needed
- How can we support communities and businesses to make healthy and active choices to improve their environment
- How can we work together to improve the air we breathe for a greener, fresher future
If you are unable to book a place, email us: getinvolved@birmingham.gov.uk
9. Hodge Hill Neighbourhood Network Scheme (NNS) Showcase event 30 January 2024 (information for providers in Hodge Hill)
Following on from the success of last year, Hodge Hill NNS would like to invite you to our annual showcase and networking event, 2024.
This is a unique opportunity for community stakeholders to join together to create new partnerships as well as strengthen and maintain existing ones. Attendees will also have the chance to learn about the positive impact that Hodge Hill NNS has made within the constituency and how we plan to extend and further our support and offer.
10. REMINDER Skills for Care: Midlands activity provision network 15 February 2024 2:00pm - 4:00pm (information for West Midlands care homes)
This meeting will provide a learning space for staff involved in facilitating meaningful and stimulating activities with the people they support. The network will have a particular focus on the following topics:
- Supporting people with limited mobility
- Increasing the use of digital tools
- Developing skills and career progression for activity coordinators
Who should attend?
- Activity coordinators
- Staff involved in leading activities
- Managers seeking to improve activity provision in their service
This meeting will be run on Zoom. Registrations will close 90 minutes before the scheduled start of the event.
11. REMINDER Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board: Shared decision making 17 January 2024 (information for all Birmingham and Solihull providers)
Shared Decision Making (SDM) is an essential component of personalised care, enabling patients to participate in shared decision making conversations, improving their motivation and health outcomes, whilst reducing health inequalities, risk and cost. This Trainer-LED, interactive session will cover:
- Benefits of SDM
- Key elements of a SDM Conversations
- Processes, preferences and risk management
- The role of health literacy
- Creating the right conditions for success
- Application to practice
Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. To request a copy, email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
12. REMINDER Carers Education Day: Bladder and Bowel Training for carers 2 February 2024 (information for West Midlands care homes)
The Association for Continence professionals is providing an education day for care home staff on Bladder and Bowel Care, Infection Prevention, Continence Management, Catheter Care, Continence assessment.
If you would like to attend, email louise.patterson@clinisupplies.co.uk or westmidlandsaca@gmail.com