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1. Birmingham City Council - Cancer Champions Programme - Webinar 4 March 2025 (Information for all Birmingham Providers)

2. REMINDER Please ensure your current insurance documents are uploaded to the CareMatch Portal (information for all Birmingham City Council contracted providers)

3. REMINDER West Midlands Care Association (WMCA) - International Recruitment: Displaced Worker Support Email Address (Information for all West Midlands Care Providers)

4. REMINDER The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) – The new Learning and Development Support Scheme (information for all providers)

5. REMINDER: UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reporting tool and response process for Acute Respiratory Infections in adult social care (Information for all West Midlands Providers)

6. REMINDER Birmingham and Solihull (BSOL) – Skills for Care Updates (Information for all Birmingham and Solihull Providers)

7. REMINDER West Midlands Association of Directors of Adult Social Services(ADASS) - Cyber Simulation webinars in the West Midlands 26 February 2025 (Information for all West Midlands Care Providers)

8. REMINDER Skills for Care and The Queen’s Nursing Institute - National Event for Registered Nurses from Black, Asian and Minoritised Ethnic Communities Working in Adult Social Care in England 25 February and 4 March 2025 (Information for Birmingham and Solihull Nursing)

9. Birmingham and Solihull (BSOL) Nurses and Clinical Leads Network for Nurses working in Social Care Virtual Network Meeting 20 March 2025 (Information for Care Homes with Nursing in Birmingham and Solihull)

10. REMINDER NHS England Free Oliver McGowan Training to End 31 March 2025 (Information for all Birmingham and Solihull Providers)

11. NHS Birmingham and Solihull (BSol) Support to Care Homes Training March and April 2025 (Information for all Care Homes)

1. Birmingham City Council - Cancer Champions Programme - Webinar 4 March 2025 (Information for all Birmingham Providers)

Do you support people with learning and/or physical disabilities or those with a mental health diagnosis? The prevalence of late cancer diagnosis in the Birmingham area is leading to poor health outcomes for a vulnerable population. To address these health inequalities, a Cancer Champions initiative has been launched. To find out more, please join us for a webinar on 4 March 2025 at 2:00pm.

The webinar is scheduled to last one hour and will be delivered by Kafilla Munir (Cancer Partnership Improvement Manager & NHSE Health Inequalities Ambassador). Kafilla will share the aims of the Cancer Champions initiative and details of ways you can become involved. Care providers are our greatest resource when it comes to the health and well-being of people with support needs, so we are also keen to hear your experiences.

Please see joining details below.

Meeting ID: 390 641 759 675

Passcode: UJ3g2N3G

2. REMINDER Please ensure your current insurance documents are uploaded to the CareMatch Portal (information for all Birmingham City Council contracted providers)

It is an important part of your contractual obligations to Birmingham City Council, and a legal requirement, to ensure you have valid insurance at all times. It is important that when you renew your insurance documents you remember to upload a copy to the CareMatch Portal following the instructions in Section 8.8 of the Care Match Portal User Guide:

CareMatch Portal User Guide

If you are experiencing technical issues uploading the documents, email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk

Reminder alerts are sent from CareMatch Portal to inform you when your insurance documents were coming up to their expiry date and when they had expired to assist you to remain compliant with your contractual obligations around insurance. To ensure you are receiving these alerts, check your email alerts are switched on (see section 4.5 of the User Guide for how you can check and change user settings).

No evidence of current insurance cover on the CareMatch Portal at the levels required by your contract will be treated as a breach of contract until evidence of cover is provided.

Providers are finding the cost of insurance has risen as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and as such it is important you allow enough time for finding an alternative insurance provider, if needed, before your current insurance expires. Contact your Care Association to see what support and advice they can offer. It is important that you inform you area commissioners if you are having difficulty arranging future cover before the expiry of your current insurance.

Who to contact in the Commissioning Team?

3. REMINDER West Midlands Care Association (WMCA) - International Recruitment: Displaced Worker Support Email Address (Information for all West Midlands Care Providers)

Are you a care provider who is looking to employ overseas workers? Are you a care provider with a valid sponsorship license who is looking to recruit from overseas? There may be people already here looking for alternative employment.

The West Midlands International Recruitment Partnership are working with displaced individuals who are looking for work. If you are interested in potentially employing any of these individuals, then please register your details with them via the West Midlands Care Association.

Please click below to sign up.

You may opt out of this service at any time, by clicking the unsubscribe link in your registration email.

4. REMINDER The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) – The new Learning and Development Support Scheme (information for all providers)

The DHSC has published a new guidance document below on the funding available for learning and development for the adult social care workforce. This fund is called the Learning and Development Support Scheme.

The Learning and Development Support Scheme is administered via a new digital online claims service that allows adult social care employers to claim funding for certain training courses and qualifications on behalf of eligible care staff. Funding is available for eligible courses and qualifications that have been both paid for and started between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 (inclusive). 

In order to manage the roll-out, for the first few months access to the service will be via invite only but providers can complete an expression of interest form below to be onboarded onto the new system.

If you have questions about the Learning and Development Support Scheme you can get in touch with the team by emailing ascreimbursement@dhsc.gov.uk. 

5. REMINDER: UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reporting tool and response process for Acute Respiratory Infections in adult social care (Information for all West Midlands Providers)

An online Outbreak Risk Assessment Tool for Care Settings (Care OBRA Tool) is available should you need to contact UKHSA WM HPT (West Midlands Health Protection Team).

Use this service to report:

a new outbreak of an acute respiratory infection (ARI) - 2 or more people in your setting with symptom onset within 5 days of each other

a single confirmed case of flu in your setting

ARIs include COVID-19, flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), or unknown respiratory infection including chest infections.

This web-based tool enables care settings to report ARI outbreaks directly to UKHSA via the following web-linkwithout the need to call or email the UKHSA HPT. You will automatically receive guidance on immediate actions required to reduce the spread of infection at your care home.

If you are not able to complete the form, please dial 03442253560 and press option 2.

6. REMINDER Birmingham and Solihull (BSOL) – Skills for Care Updates (Information for all Birmingham and Solihull Providers)

Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk. This includes some updates on forthcoming training and development opportunities for frontline care staff.

7. REMINDER West Midlands Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) - Cyber Simulation webinars in the West Midlands 26 February 2025 (Information for all West Midlands Care Providers)

Would you know how to respond to a cyber-attack? Join Digital Care Hub and the West Midlands Cyber Resilience Centre for these new interactive webinars launching in February, where they will simulate a hacker targeting a care provider with a cyber-attack. Participants will collectively step into the decision-maker's shoes using Zoom polls, choosing how to respond at every turn. Each choice will shape the outcome, revealing the real-life consequences of your actions.

The West Midlands Cyber Resilience Centre to talk about the common cyber issues found in the West Midlands and more.

Cyber simulation: Ransomware Attack in the West Midlands – 26 February 2025 | 3pm-4pm

8. REMINDER Skills for Care and The Queen’s Nursing Institute - National Event for Registered Nurses from Black, Asian and Minoritised Ethnic Communities Working in Adult Social Care in England 25 February and 4 March 2025 (Information for Birmingham and Solihull Nursing)

Skills for Care and The Queen's Nursing Institute (see below), in partnership with Michelle Cox, Race Equality Consultant, are hosting two events for Registered Nurses from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities working in adult social care in England.

Michelle Cox is a Registered Nurse, Queen’s Nurse who has a particular interest in health inequalities, addressing challenges and ensuring that learning is embedded throughout

organisations. The theme for the event is:

Your contributions to these events are essential to ensure the recommendations developed from these events reflect the needs of the adult social care workforce. This is a free event.

A light lunch and refreshments will be provided. To apply for a place at either of these events see link below:

Places are limited so early application is encouraged. If you have any questions, please contact alice.mallalieu@qni.org.uk.

London event

Where?

Society Building, 8 All Saints Street, London, N1 9RL

When? Tuesday 25 February 2025, 12.30pm – 4.00pm

Birmingham event

Where?

Burlington Arcade, 126 New Street, Birmingham, B2 4JQ

When? Tuesday March 2025, 12.30pm – 4.00pm

9. Birmingham and Solihull (BSOL) Nurses and Clinical Leads Network for Nurses working in Social Care Virtual Network Meeting 20 March 2025 (Information for Care Homes with Nursing in Birmingham and Solihull)

Birmingham and Solihull Nurses and Clinical Leads Network for Nurses working in Social Care would like to invite home managers and registered nurses to the next virtual network meeting for Thursday 20 March 2025.

The meeting agenda will include relevant clinical nursing issues such as:

Resident Ambassadors at Blackmoor Nursing Home - Arron Breen - Home Manager

Podiatry In BSOL Nursing Homes - Amanda Askew Podiatry Service Clinical Lead at BCHCT

Safe Systems of Work – Brigid Doherty Senior Commissioning Officer - Birmingham City Council

Choking Prevention in Care Homes- Sandra Robinson - Director & Independent Speech & Language Therapist, Speech Therapy Works Ltd.

There will be an update from BSOL Integrated Care Board, Skills for Care and West Midlands Care Association on support/resources for nurses.

The link to book a place is below.

Please use networks@wmca.care for further information.

10. REMINDER NHS England Free Oliver McGowan Training to End 31 March 2025 (Information for all Birmingham and Solihull Providers)

Until 31 March 2025, The Oliver McGowan Training is funded by NHS England and is available free to all CQC registered health and social care providers delivering services in the Birmingham and Solihull area.

From April 2025, new arrangements will apply so we strongly recommend that you take advantage of training while it is free and book onto one of the 300+ sessions running between January and March 2025.

The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training in Learning Disabilities and Autism is for all staff in a CQC registered organisation. Staff must complete Part 1 (The e-Learning) followed by Part 2 (as per the requirements of their job role). Part 2 of the training is divided into Tier 1 (one-hour online learning) or Tier 2 (one day’s face to face training).

Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System are running Oliver McGown Mandatory Training for Tier 2. Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk

11. NHS Birmingham and Solihull (BSol) Support to Care Homes Training March and April 2025 (Information for all Care Homes)

Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk. This includes details of the Support to Care Homes Team virtual training for all Care Home staff across Birmingham and Solihull Care homes.

There are valuable informative training sessions on:

Recognising Deterioration

End of Life

Infection prevention

Pressure Ulcer classification

Falls prevention

Introduction to dementia

The training will be hosted by the Solihull Support to Care homes Team and is open to all Care Home staff across Birmingham and Solihull care homes and joining details can be accessed via the BSol Healthzone Care Home App or contact Supportto.carehomeservice@uhb.nhs.uk.

Instructions on how to download the BSol Healthzone Care Home App have been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk