Care England Policy Insight

 

Flu and COVID-19 vaccination programme Winter 2023/24

The flu and COVID-19 vaccination programmes help to provide important protection to those eligible and their families over winter, preventing serious illness and death and helping to minimise hospitalisations during busy winter months.

Approximately 30 million people across the country will be offered a flu vaccine and approximately 21.5 million a COVID-19 autumn booster this winter season.

This year’s autumn flu and COVID-19 vaccine programmes started earlier than planned in England to deliver greater protection for those at greatest risk of severe illness. This was a precautionary measure following the identification of a new COVID-19 variant (variant BA.2.86). The technical briefings documents on novel SARS-CoV-2 variants can be found on GOV.UK.

The following groups are eligible for a free flu vaccine: 

  • All adults aged 65 and over

  • Anyone under 65 with certain underlying health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, some neurological diseases, liver disease or a weakened immune system (for instance due to being prescribed steroids or treated for cancer)

  • Those living in care homes

  • Certain carers (as defined in the Green Book - those who are in receipt of a carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill)

  • Frontline workers in a social care setting without an employer led occupational health scheme including those working for a registered residential care or nursing home, registered domiciliary care providers, voluntary managed hospice providers and those that are employed by those who receive direct payments (personal budgets) or personal health budgets, such as personal assistants

Find eligibility details on the NHS website.

 

Federal Data Platform Announcement

The Federated Data Platform (FDP) is software that will sit across NHS trusts and integrated care systems allowing them to connect data they already hold in a secure and safe environment. GP data will not be part of the national platform. FDP does not change data controllership arrangements so if there is data sharing agreement between integrate care system (ICS) and GPs locally to share data for care co-ordination then they can use the local version of FDP for that purpose.

The software will be ‘federated’ across the NHS. This means that every hospital and integrated care board will have their own version of the platform which can connect and collaborate with other data platforms as a ‘federation’. This makes it easier for health and care organisations to work together, compare data, analyse it at different geographic, demographic and organisational levels and share and spread new effective digital solutions.

The federated data platform is not a data collection; it is software that will help to connect disparate sets of data and allow them to be used more effectively for care.

Click here to read the Secretary of State of Health and Social Care’s statement
Click here to read further information on the FDP from NHS England
Click here to read the NHS press release
Click here to access the FAQ list on FDP
Click here to access the engagement portal

 

2023 Autumn Statement

The Chancellor of the Exchequer presented his Autumn Statement 2023 to Parliament on Wednesday 22 November 2023. Economic growth was the key tenant of the Chancellor’s budget.  

Reference was made to the government taking significant steps to support the long-term sustainability of the health service. This included the publication of the first-ever NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, underpinned by an assumption of labour productivity increasing by 1.5-2% per year alongside the biggest expansion of staff training in NHS history. There was an omission of adult social care which plays a fundamental role in the sustainability of the NHS.   

The government is supporting pensioner incomes by maintaining the pension Triple Lock which will be uprated in April 2024 in line with average earnings growth of 8.5% setting a precedent for the Government to commit additional funding to Local Authorities to pay adult social care providers a rate which reflects inflation and the increase in the National Living Wage (NLW). 

The government is delivering on its commitment to end hourly low pay. From 1 April 2024, the NLW will increase by 9.8% to £11.44 with the age threshold lowered from 23 to 21 years old. This represents an increase of over £1,800 to the annual earnings of a full-time worker on the NLW and is expected to benefit over 2.7 million low-paid workers.   

The adult social care sector’s ability to adjust wages is extremely limited by the current underfunding which characterises the sector; approximately 60% of care provider fees are determined by Local Authorities and the NHS and should be reviewed annually. This was something recognised by the Low Pay Commission in their recommendations to the Government, which have now been accepted, noting that in the social care sector, the “employers’ ability to pass on increased costs is highly constrained.” However, we must move beyond mere recognition into tangible action.  

On the 2023 Autumn Statement, Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England said:    

“The Autumn Statement placed a huge emphasis on growing our economy. What was overlooked was that the adult social care sector contributes more than £50bn to the economy per annum. The people receiving care and support, the staff and the taxpayers all feel the effects of the instability of our sector. The Government must now invest in social care to truly stabilise a key pillar of our society and economy.”  

You can read Care England’s press release in full here
You can read the 2023 Autumn Statement in full here

 

Government response to the review into commercial clinical trials

The government published its initial response to the Lord O’Shaughnessy review into UK commercial clinical trials in May 2023. The initial response welcomed all recommendations from the review in principle, and made 5 headline commitments backed by up to £121 million funding.

This report sets out our response in full and integrates Lord O’Shaughnessy’s recommendations into our programme of work to implement our bold and ambitious 10-year vision, Saving and Improving Lives: The Future of UK Clinical Research Delivery. It provides:

  • an update on progress made against the 5 headline commitments

  • new national performance indicators which will drive progress in the delivery of clinical research across the UK

  • a prioritised response on the remaining recommendations and the existing programme of work announced in our previous implementation plans, which this supersedes

You can read the full response here

 

Assistive technology research and development work: 2021 to 2022

Section 22 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 requires a report to be placed before Parliament each year on progress made in government-funded research relating to equipment that might increase the range of activities and independence or wellbeing of disabled people, known as assistive technology (AT).

The annual report for 2021 to 2022 sets out government-funded projects supporting the development, introduction and evaluation of assistive technology.

These projects can help increase the independence or wellbeing of disabled and older people.

You can access the report 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.  Click here to see tender and contract opportunities.

Essex County Council - Commissioning of Strength and Balance Services in Mid-Essex (Braintree, Chelmsford and Maldon)
https://www.publicsector.co.uk/contractalert/510600
 
North Northamptonshire Council - Provision Of Independent Trusted Home Care Assessor
https://www.publicsector.co.uk/contractalert/510632
 
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council - Mental Health Specialist Enablement & Recovery Service
https://www.publicsector.co.uk/contractalert/510866
 
London Borough of Merton - Advocacy and Independent Visitors Services
https://www.publicsector.co.uk/contractalert/510918
 
Essex County Council - Advocacy Services In Essex
https://www.publicsector.co.uk/contractalert/511003
 
Flagship Housing Group - Telecare & Telehealth Services
https://www.publicsector.co.uk/contractalert/511023
 
Norfolk County Council - Supported Living for Learning Disabilities and or Physical Disabilities x 3 schemes
https://www.publicsector.co.uk/contractalert/511205

 

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. 

 
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