Care England Policy Insight (02.10.2023)
Pay and conditions in adult social care 2023 Survey
IDR is conducting a survey on behalf of UNISON as part of work to underpin its campaign for a National Care Service in England and would like to hear from employers in adult social care in England.
This new survey looks at the labour market pressures currently faced by providers. It also aims to provide the most comprehensive analysis of pay and conditions for staff working in the adult social care sector in England, covering some 26 roles. As a ‘thank you’ for participating, respondents will receive a free detailed summary report describing the steps they and their industry peers have taken to address recruitment and retention difficulties, as well as an overview of pay and benefits provision in the sector.
Winter briefing: Flu and COVID-19 campaign
In the UKHSA’s press release today, they encourage people to take up both the flu and COVID-19 vaccines ahead of winter. This is due to the results of recent UKHSA modelling, which shows last year’s flu vaccinations prevented around 25,000 hospitalisations in England. Even with this success, the health impact of last year’s flu season remained severe, with hospitalisations and excess winter deaths from flu higher than those from COVID-19 at the peak of the 2022/23 season. Last year, the flu virus was estimated to be responsible for over 14,000 excess deaths and tens of thousands of hospitalisations. The UKSHA have good evidence to suggest this year’s vaccine will offer good protection.
Data from this year’s Southern Hemisphere winter season, where the H1N1 subtype was dominant, suggests the current flu vaccines are well matched against circulating strains, with the Australian Government officially recording its season as ‘low’ clinical severity.
It is possible the seasonal H1N1 virus could return to the UK where it has had limited circulation since 2019, after which measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic virtually eliminated the spread of all flu until the 22/23 season, when other subtypes re-emerged.
As winter approaches, COVID-19 variants are also expected to be in circulation, increasing the risk to pregnant women, older people and those in vulnerable groups especially at risk of getting seriously ill.
The UKHSA notes that it is important that as many eligible people as possible have their flu and COVID-19 vaccines to build up their protection against severe illness before winter hits. All eligible adults are urged by the UKHSA to book their flu and COVID-19 vaccines online via the NHS website, by downloading the NHS App, or by calling 119 for free if they can’t get online.
You can read the press release in full here
UKHSA and ONS launch new Winter COVID-19 Infection Study
Today, a study to gather vital data on COVID-19 this winter has been launched by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The Winter COVID-19 Infection Study (WCIS) will run from November 2023 to March 2024, involving up to 200,000 participants.
UKHSA previously commissioned the Coronavirus Infection Survey (CIS), carried out by the ONS during the pandemic, in partnership with scientific study leads Oxford University. Recognised globally as the gold standard for surveillance of the virus, CIS gathered and analysed more than 11.5 million swab tests and 3 million blood tests from April 2020 to March 2023.
The new WCIS is a different study and will involve up to 32,000 lateral flow tests being carried out each week, providing key insight into the levels of COVID-19 circulating across the wider community. This sample will be broadly representative of the population according to key characteristics. It will allow us to better detect changes in the behaviour of the virus.
You can read more about the UKHSA and ONS launch new Winter COVID-19 Infection Study here
Recruiting more men and young people into adult social care
Skills for Care and TPXimpact are currently conducting a research project to understand how to encourage more young people and men to work, and stay working, in care.
They are actively seeking care workers who are aged 18-24 and men above 25, to participate in a 30-minute online conversation. This interview will centre around application, welcome, and onboarding experiences within care.
If you are interested in being a part of this project, please reach out to ximena.soto-soutullo@tpximpact.com for additional information. To show their appreciation for time and insights from the participants, they will be offering a £30 Amazon voucher.
Digitising Social Care website
TPXimpact have been working with the Department of Health and Social Care to build a new Digitising Social Care website. The website aims to help to transform adult social care through digital innovation. Our website offers social care providers guidance, information, and advice on technology and digital ways of working.
They're seeking the input of staff within social care providers responsible for digital / technology (such as registered managers, project managers or digital leads) to get feedback on the website so they can continue to develop and improve the site.
There is a really quick and simple feedback form here.
NHS facing extreme strike disruption amid three consecutive ‘Christmas days’
In a press release yesterday, NHS England highlighted that the NHS and patients are facing further disruption this week as three more days of historic joint walkouts by junior doctors and consultants are set to bring routine care services to a “near standstill”. Thousands more appointments are expected to be rescheduled this week, just days after the total number of postponements since strikes began exceeded one million appointments.
From 7am on Monday until 7am on Thursday, both junior doctors and consultants will deliver ‘Christmas Day’ levels of staffing only, meaning that, while emergency care will be provided for those in need, routine hospital services will be severely affected. The first-ever joint industrial action by both consultants and junior doctors took place last week, seeing 129,913 inpatient and outpatient appointments rescheduled across the week. At the peak of the action, on Wednesday 20th September, there were 26,802 staff absent from work due to industrial action.
Read the article in full here.
Waste not, want not: Strategies to improve the supply of clinical staff to the NHS
Last week, the Nuffield Trust shared a new report setting out a 10-point plan for improving the attrition during training and early NHS careers, including consideration of a student loans forgiveness scheme.
For every five nurse training places, only three full-time nurses join the NHS. The rate of dropouts in the staffing pipeline from student to early-career clinician is worryingly high, with significant numbers opting out before or soon after joining the NHS, contributing to an understaffed health service under ever-greater strain. This analysis sets out the scale of NHS attrition and puts forward a 10-point plan to improve retention, including a policy proposal to gradually write off clinicians' student debt over 10 years.
Read the full report here.
Ministers are urged to adopt 10 year blueprint to tackle mental ill health in England
As reported by the BMJ last week, policies to tackle poverty and racial injustice, reforming the benefits and justice systems, and investing in better and more equitable mental health services should be key tenets of the government’s long term mental health plan for England, a coalition of charities has urged.
The Centre for Mental Health says in a report on behalf of more than 30 national charities that cuts to public services, the covid pandemic, and the cost of living crisis have led to a sharp rise in mental ill health in England.
Read the full article from the BMJ here.
Save up to 50% for 3 years on the CareCubed care costing solution
At a time when council budgets are stretched and provider costs are growing, it is crucial to ensure pricing of care packages are fairly funded. CareCubed, the nationally recognised tool, is opening up new conversations, taking the heat out of negotiations and encouraging partnership working to develop new services together. The independent nature of the tool opens up doors that have previously been closed.
Discounted pricing has been specially negotiated with Care England, which means up to 50 members and 50 non-members can purchase the tool for reduced prices.
For Care England Members, Pricing is based on size of provider and discounts of 20-50% against our list price are offered as part of this one-time promotion. These discounts can be offered for up to three years with no increase for the duration of the contract.
To view this offer, click here.
To view all offers available, click here.
Tenders and contract opportunities for adult social care
The list below represents recent tender and contract opportunities for adult social care providers to consider.
GB-London: staff support
https://www.publicsector.co.uk/contractalert/499271
Family Hubs North Northamptonshire Volunteer Academy
https://www.publicsector.co.uk/contractalert/499366
Click here to see all tender and contract opportunities.
Care England re-issues gas and electricity tender for care providers
Care providers with energy contracts expiring before 2026, who wish to secure the lowest possible energy price available at their renewal date and to benefit from support and solutions not available to individual organisations on their own, should register their interest here and complete the expression of interest link.