Care England Policy Insight (13.11.2023)
NHS-funded Nursing Care rate 2024/25
As you’ve hopefully seen, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) is running a cost collection survey to help inform the 2024-2025 NHS-funded Nursing Care (FNC) rate.
The DHSC has received feedback asking to extend the completion date of the survey, which was originally due to close at midnight on Wednesday 15 November 2023.
They’re keen that as many providers as possible reply to this optional survey, as a greater sample size will mean more reliable results. They are therefore extending the completion date of the survey until midnight next Wednesday 22 November 2023. The survey can be accessed via a link in Capacity Tracker.
If you are struggling to access the survey or have any questions, please contact DHSC’s FNC inbox at fnc@dhsc.gov.uk.
Care England encourage all care providers who operate nursing homes to actively engage in this cost collection exercise and provide the requested data via the Capacity Tracker tool.
When you complete the survey, please ensure that you have data on the number of residents by funding type and payroll information on both pay and hours worked by registered nurses for the two months of April 2023 and September 2023 (or your most recent completed payroll period) to hand.
Help inform the direction of Care England
We want to ensure we continue to meet the needs and expectations of our members. As such, we are reviewing our outputs and offerings for the next calendar year.
This anonymous survey represents the chance to have your voice heard and make sure Care England is providing as much benefit as possible to your service, allowing you to continue the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care to those you support.
As a thank you for your time, we are offering the first twenty respondents to the survey a half-price ticket to the Care England Conference and Exhibition on 14 March 2024 at Church House, Westminster, London. More details can be found here. In order to redeem this offer, go to the booking form on the Care England website and enter the code ‘Survey50%’ in the ‘Message/ Reference’ box.
Please note this survey closes on Thursday 23 November 2023.
The survey can be accessed here.
Social care, housing, health, and winter: ADASS Autumn Survey Report
ADASS has released the 'Social care, housing, health, and winter' Autumn Summary, highlighting the imminent challenges confronting health and adult social care in the approaching winter. The documented pressures on the NHS and a substantial backlog of individuals awaiting assessments or care underscore the potential impact on people's well-being. The summary stresses the strain on frontline adult social care staff, now handling tasks previously managed by NHS staff without sufficient funding. In response, Directors propose three investable propositions, calling for a shift towards preventive care, increased crisis resolution services investment, and ensuring timely access to information for informed decision-making. The report underscores the pivotal role of housing in care decisions, advocating for a transformative approach to enhance outcomes and reduce costs.
Concluding with essential recommendations, the ADASS Autumn Summary urges a significant policy and investment shift towards wellness and well-being. The first investable proposition proposes a multi-year government program, in collaboration with ADASS and key partners, to boost the construction of accessible and specialized housing. This initiative not only improves individual outcomes but also contributes to economic growth and reduces social care and NHS expenditures. The second proposition focuses on developing community-based health and social care capacity, emphasizing early intervention and prevention. The report further recommends reinstating funding for personalized information and advice, empowering individuals, families, and carers to make well-informed choices about their future care. These recommendations, crafted to break the cycle of winter crises and promote a sustainable and person-centered care system, are poised to influence policy discussions and decisions in the upcoming Spending Review and General Election.
Read the full ADASS Autumn Statement here.
Resources to support with digital skills and confidence
Skills for Care (SfC) published resources available to support you with improving digital confidence and developing your digital skills.
Digital leadership programme, aimed at registered managers and is focused on building confidence in using digital as well as developing managers’ ability to identify opportunities for digital technology and embed digital processes into their organisation.
Digital champions are individuals who work in the adult social care sector, who support and empower staff to use digital tools more effectively. This role will sit alongside their everyday job role.
Digital Skills Framework, a resource to support the adult social care workforce to develop their digital skills within the sector.
Barclays digital eagles in partnership with SfC to provide digital support, virtual learning sessions and eLearning to the adult social care sector.
‘Measuring digital readiness’ tool to measure how digital-ready your organisation is.
UK Covid-19 Inquiry Engagement Team community engagement activities
The UK Covid-19 Inquiry Engagement Team is conducting a series of community engagement activities under the program 'Every Story Matters.' This initiative includes public events and Listening Circle sessions in various regions, starting with Exeter on November 27-28 and Newham (London) on November 29-30, with future events planned for East Anglia, the North East, Greater Manchester, and Lincolnshire.
The events provide an opportunity for individuals and organizations to share their pandemic experiences anonymously, contributing to the Covid-19 Inquiry's legal evidence. The Inquiry focuses on learning lessons for future preparedness rather than investigating individual cases. The engagement team adopts a trauma-informed approach, offering counseling support and private spaces for those who may find discussing pandemic-related experiences emotionally challenging. Adjustments can be made to accommodate different needs.
Those interested can register by emailing covid19inquiry@identityglobal.com with "Listening Circle" in the subject line.
City of London Corporation adult social care preparation for assurance peer challenge report
City of London Corporation (CoL) requested that the Local Government Association undertake an Adult Social Care Preparation for Assurance Peer Challenge at the CoL. The work was commissioned by Ellie Ward, Head of Strategy and Performance at the City of London Corporation to get an external view on the readiness of the adult social care service for the arrival of the Care Quality Commission’s assurance inspections.
A peer challenge is designed to help an authority and its partners assess current achievements, areas for development and capacity to change. The peer challenge is not an inspection. Instead it offers a supportive approach, undertaken by friends – albeit ‘critical friends’ – with no surprises. All information is collected on a non-attributable basis in order to promote an open and honest dialogue and feedback from the team of peers is given in good faith.
In order to prepare fully for Care Quality Commission assurance the LGA encourage CoL to be able to have a clearly evidenced narrative at all levels of the adult social care workforce. The narrative should focus on the outcomes and achievements of the approach to strengths-based practice, with examples of how co-production has been used to deliver personalised services and strategies. It should clearly show how the lived experience of local people is understood and recorded and done so in a way that demonstrates how equality, diversity and inclusion is embedded in the CoL’s ASC service operations.
You can read the assessment in full here
Chief Medical Officer’s annual report 2023: health in an ageing society
Last week, Professor Chris Whitty published a new independent report as part of the Chief Medical Officer’s annual reportings. The focus of this report by Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Professor Chris Whitty is on how to maximise the independence, and minimise the time in ill health, between people in England reaching older age and the end of their life. It is aimed at policymakers (government and professional bodies), healthcare professionals, medical scientists and the general public.
People are living longer; It is something to celebrate, but alongside this we have a responsibility in medicine, government and wider society to plan to ensure that older age is as healthy, independent and enjoyable as possible into the future.
We can maintain people’s independence via 2 broad approaches, which are complementary. The first is to reduce disease, including degenerative disease, to prevent, delay or minimise disability and frailty. The second is to change the environment so that, for a given level of disability, people can maintain their independence longer. We must do both.
The geography of older age in England is already highly skewed away from large urban areas towards more rural, coastal and other peripheral areas, and will become more so. Efforts to achieve shorter periods in ill health and an easier environment for those with disabilities, should concentrate on areas of the country where the need is going to be greatest. Expansion of medical and NHS services need to be in these areas.
Many people in older age live with multiple conditions (multimorbidity). Medical training, NHS services and research need to respond to this reality.
There are many things we can do to improve health and independence of older citizens if we are systematic about it. This will however require active decisions and actions by individuals, government and health professionals.
You can read the report in full here
COVID-19: guidance for people whose immune system means they are at higher risk
The DHSC have today updated their guidance for people aged 12 and over whose immune system means they are at higher risk of serious illness if they become infected with COVID-19. This document now contains updated information on COVID-19 treatments and testing sections.
This guidance includes useful information on:
keeping yourself safe
eligibility for additional COVID-19 vaccine doses
eligibility for new NHS COVID-19 treatments if you become infected
You can read the updated guidance in full here
One million people complete The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism e-learning
Over one million people have completed The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism’s e-learning in the year since it was launched.
The training will enable health and care staff to better support people with a learning disability and autistic people, with an understanding of how to work with them to meet their needs.
The milestone comes ahead of the seventh anniversary of Oliver’s death (November 11). Oliver died after being given antipsychotic medication, despite warnings that they were unsuitable for him, highlighting a lack of understanding of the needs of people with a learning disability and autistic people.
The programme comes in two tiers and is designed so staff receive the right level of training. Tier 1 has been designed for staff who require general awareness of the support autistic people or people with a learning disability may need, while Tier 2 is for those who may need to provide care and make more complex care decisions.
You can read the article in full here
Tenders and contract opportunities for adult social care
The link below lists recent tender and contract opportunities for adult social care providers to consider.
Department for Work and Pensions - Access to Work: Mental Health Support Service (ATW: MHSS)
https://www.publicsector.co.uk/contractalert/508734
NCL ICB - Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) Provider Framework
https://www.publicsector.co.uk/contractalert/508752
Mayors Office for Policing And Crime - VRU MyEnds: Community Needs Assessment & Evaluation Provider
https://www.publicsector.co.uk/contractalert/508791
Milton Keynes Council - Dementia Information and Support Service - Market Engagement
https://www.publicsector.co.uk/contractalert/508828
Wirral Borough Council - Restorative Justice & Mediation Services Wirral
https://www.publicsector.co.uk/contractalert/508903
Sheffield City Council - Invitation to Co-Produce a Tender Specification to Deliver Formal Early Help
https://www.publicsector.co.uk/contractalert/508923
Click here to see 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.