Welcome to your weekly Wednesday digest of social care news curated by OACP.

In this week's edition:

As always, please let us know if you are looking for something and can't find it.

We're here to help.

OACP bio - all we do is here

Oxfordshire Registered Manager Network - for Registered Managers and Deputies

OACP Learning Disability network - for supported living services for people with learning disability/ autism/ ABI

OACP Home Care network - for registered home care providers

OACP-OCA Care Home network - for registered residential and nursing homes

Safeguarding Quarterly Network with Oxfordshire County Council and Oxfordshire Safeguarding Adults Board

Daytime Support Network has been paused pending review - see survey to have your say

OACP Meeting Survey

We're reviewing our support to you and would welcome your thoughts on how we meet with you and what we talk about. Please complete this very short survey to let us know.

Following on from the hugely successful series of IDDSI webinars in February 2021, The Close Care Home will be hosting a texture modified food training for staff at on 14 September at 10 am.

Due to the success of the texture modified food in the home and the training around this, The Close are kindly throwing the doors open and inviting all care homes in the area to join them for their next FREE training and information session.

Please contact Richard Edwards if you wish to join the event as spaces are limited.

This is open to all levels and departments; Managers, Care, Catering, anyone.

They will cover topics such as:

The Close Care Home has won multiple awards for their food and dining experience along with Outstanding in all five areas of CQC inspection, so this is a fantastic opportunity to pick their brains.

In the meantime you can register your comments on the Draft Strategy here.

If you would like to attend please complete this Booking Form by Monday 11 September. If multiple colleagues would like to attend from your organisation, please complete a form for EACH attendee.

Launch webinar: Join to hear about the details of the grant and to walk through the application process.

Virtual drop-in sessions: The Grants team will be available online for you to ask any specific questions relating to your application.

In-person drop-in session at the OCF office: Pop in to meet the team and ask any questions you may have about your application.

Take a look at the Frequently Asked Questions to answer any questions you may have. In addition the Guidance document provides a detailed explanation of how to complete your application as well as an example of a completed application form and advice on making the application process more accessible.

Full details about the grant can be found on the Community Capacity web page.

A Carers Journey is a series of workshops and courses created for carers in partnership with Action for Carers Oxfordshire and Abingdon & Witney College, designed to help improve your well-being and gain confidence in caring for someone at home.

The workshops and courses are designed for carers to support both the practical and emotional challenges of caring, with a balance between learning practical skills, relaxation and creative sessions.

If you are interested in the workshops and courses and would like to fill in a survey please click on the link below. Responses will enable AfC and the College to design relevant programmes and support systems to meet carers needs.

Book here - you need to be registered on OSAB and logged in

The Skills for Care Workforce Development Fund is now live, meaning you may be able to claim up to £2000 per learner per funding year. With this in mind, Grey Matter Learning has released dates for 3 of the Learning Programmes they provide.

Oxfordshire County Council has published its Carers Strategy available from the Carers Oxfordshire website.

Thanks to all the volunteers who helped to shape the strategy.

Action plans are in progress to meet the strategy and will be released by mid-September.

Thank you if you have already submitted your grant application.

The next tranche of payments will be made on 30 September.

International recruitment is a complex process. Don't be caught out. Make sure you are clear what the legal process is and where you can improve support to migrant workers.

And if you are aware of potential concerns about modern slavery, you have several options for reporting:

Wheels to Work provides a fully serviced and insured 50cc or 125cc moped with maintenance plan, roadside assistance, secure lock, delivery and tracker on a lease arrangement for:

Applicants can either pay for the package themselves, or apply for a grant from the Care Workers’ Charity (in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council).

More details here and a short video testimonial here.

See also this Skills for Care case study.

Find out what we are doing to support you and your workforce in our Oxfordshire People Plan.

Number of OACP Members taking advantage of this free Membership offer.

OACP has partnered with the Institute of Health and Social Care Management to provide development and networking opportunities for managers.

If you would like to take advantage of your OACP Membership offer with IHSCM, please contact us for your password to access their services.

IHSCM have put together a quick promo video for you just giving a bit of an introduction to your free membership with IHSCM.

ALL managers who work for you will be able to access these opportunities for free.

If you're not sure if your organisation is eligible as an OACP Member, please contact us.

Useful local contacts can be found further down, below _Webinars | Podcasts | Events_

Good oral health is an essential to a person’s general health and wellbeing. Evidence shows that poor oral health in care homes impacts an individual’s ability to eat, smile and be pain free, and therefore their quality of life.

Stay Smiling has been co-developed by King’s College London in partnership with the NHSE London Dental Ageing Network, Alliance for a Cavity Free Future (ACFF), the Whittington Community Dental Services and care home teams in North Central London. Working to meet the needs expressed by the care staff involved, the programme is based around a series of videos demonstrating mouth care on care home residents. It is free, accessible, takes approximately 30 minutes and care staff will receive a certificate upon completion. There is also a coproduced oral health toolkit that care homes can use to assist in oral care assessment and planning for their residents.

This e-learning provides a good foundation for carers to deliver mouth care and therefore be an important first step to supporting care homes to improve the oral health of their residents.

Furthermore, service providers can request the videos to embed into their own oral health training programmes, by emailing stay.smiling@kcl.ac.uk.

Please find here the most recent UKHSA report. In the context of the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire West area, at the end of July, there had been several care homes that have reported a Norovirus outbreak.

For additional IP&C guidance required from the ICB, please contact bobicb.ipc@nhs.net

Focused meetings on care homes have started in each place-based locality. It's too early to tell how these ICS-led meetings will make a difference, but in theory it should provide a connection between care homes and NHS commissioners. We will keep you updated on subject matter and actions.

However, there are no domiciliary care focused meetings and we are following this up, as supporting people at home is the major drive by both NHS and local authorities.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has provided an update on the BA.2.86 COVID-19 variant in England and the identification of further cases. This variant was behind the sole care home outbreak so far this autumn in Norfolk, where 28 cases were identified.

As of 4 September 2023, 34 confirmed cases of BA.2.86 had been identified in England. Of these, 5 were hospitalised and no deaths due to COVID-19 have been reported amongst these cases.

As before, vaccination, COVID-19 treatments and the current IPC guidance, remain the best way to help protect against infection across adult social care, and we ask you to continue with these measures.

As set out in the recent letter to the care sector, the COVID-19 and flu autumn/winter vaccination programme began on Monday 11 September and all care staff and care home residents are encouraged to take up the offer as soon as possible.

And in case you are wondering if you or someone else is eligible, here is the wording from the vaccination rollout specification:

The UK dashboard shows the latest data on people testing positive and deaths with covid-19 on the death certificate.

Free personal protective equipment (PPE) scheme | updated 11 September

The Support Centre team are available to provide help by calling 0191 691 3729 (Mon-Fri 8am-5pm (excl bank holidays) or by email necsu.capacitytracker@nhs.net

Please submit your information and support the care data matters strategy.

A wife has described her devastation after her husband was killed in a fight in a dementia care home in the West Country. lohn Bonser has been found guilty of unlawfully killing Clive Dowse, a fellow resident, after hitting him in the face during a fisticuffs incident last year.

A trial held at Plymouth Crown Court heard that Bonser, 80 and Mr Dowse, 79, were both dementia sufferers at the home but had never been involved in any violent incident with each other, or with other residents or staff members during their stay at the care home.

The jury took just 20 minutes to unanimously find Bonser, who was not fit enough to appear at his trial in person, guilty of unlawfully killing Mr Dowse.

The problem is particularly relevant in the UK, where around 70% of long-term care home residents have dementia and 85% have hearing loss.

“People with dementia already are some of the most vulnerable people in society,” said Lead author Dr Hannah Cross, “And because hearing loss in these people can exacerbate agitation, confusion, increase loneliness and social withdrawal, the task of providing high quality care is even more important.”

Read more here and the full report is here

Angela Rayner has underlined Labour’s pledge to prioritise introducing fair pay agreements for social care workers, which would set minimum terms and conditions across the sector.

In a speech to the Trades Union Congress on Tuesday 12 September, the shadow levelling up secretary said a Labour government, “will boost collective bargaining both at a firm level and sector level, starting with fair pay agreements in adult social care.”

Rayner also promised: “Day one basic rights. A ban on zero hour contracts, an end to fire and rehire. Family friendly working. Strengthened sick pay, making it available to all workers, including the lowest earners, and from day one.

“We will go faster and quicker to end the gender pay gap, address unequal pay, tackle sexual harassment at work. Put mental health on a par with physical health. And we'll bring in a proper living wage that people can actually live on.”

If you believe your laptop, PC, tablet or phone has been infected with a virus or malware, follow the National Cyber Security Centre’s guidance on ‘How to recover an infected device’.

If your business has fallen victim to fraud or cyber crime, report it to Action Fraud online at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.

Fifty million pounds has been allocated to local authorities from today to help older people and those with disabilities live safely and independently in their own homes.

Delivered jointly by the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, eligible disabled people of all ages will be able to apply to their local authority for a grant to adapt their home to better meet their needs. 

Available to homeowners, private renters and those in social housing, the funding will be delivered through the Disabled Facilities Grant and comes on top of the annual £573 million already provided to local authorities for home improvement services. 

Since 2010, there have been almost half a million home adaptions, backed by £4.8 billion in funding.

The Markel 3rd Sector Care Awards | Nominations for the 2024 Awards are now open

The Department of Health and Social Care is seeking views on Think Local Act Personal (TLAP)’s work across the adult social care sector. TLAP provides services and products encouraging personalisation and community-based support, including those used by local authorities, service users, providers and the social work profession.

Much has been said recently about the impact of strikes by health care staff on the recovery of planned hospital care in England. Nuffield Trust takes a closer look at what we know and don’t know about how much the strikes are to blame for the growing waiting list.

Last week we sent out RAAC guidance for care homes, but RAAC use could equally be present in office and domestic buildings. Government acknowledges that the use may be widespread and not limited to public sector, but could apply to any building built or altered between the mid-1950s and early 1990s. Schools are still being identified and others ruled out as investigations continue.

Please use RICS as your first guidance.

CQC has published a new cross-sector policy position statement on restrictive practice, what it means for providers, and what people receiving healthcare services have the right to expect. The policy position builds on the new powers we have to assess how local authorities and healthcare providers work together.

Examples of more subtle types of restrictive practice include:

Government has launched the first major national survey of all care workers in all care roles in adult social care in England.

The national survey of care workers, conducted by Skills for Care, Ipsos and the University of Kent on behalf of DHSC, is gathering information about working conditions, organisational characteristics, and workplace culture, to understand how work-related quality of life and wellbeing is affected.

The survey will take no more than 20 minutes to complete.

Choosing Roles less involved in care e.g. receptionist, cook, cleaner, caretaker, administrative assistant, senior manager or I do not work in adult social care category will close the survey

People with an acute respiratory infection could be monitored from home as a result of NIHR draft guidance on virtual ward platform technologies. The platforms can monitor a patient's temperature, heart rate, oxygen saturation and blood pressure. They can feed this vital information back to healthcare professionals, often automatically. NIHR estimate the technologies save around £872 per person compared with inpatient care, and £115 per person compared with care at home without a technology-enabled virtual ward.

The latest figures obtained from NHS England show the number of people being assessed as eligible for CHC funding each year has dropped by 32% from 15,963 people in 2018/19 to 10,847 people in 2022/23.

Read more here and find the data here

You can now watch the whole series on YouTube.

This webinar CQC updated the timeline for implementing the new regulatory approach.

NEW: The first webinar in CQC's transformation series, this episode focuses on how we'll roll out our new regulatory approach and provider portal to all health and social care providers

This webinar focused on the approach to assessing local authorities.

This webinar updated on the approach to assessing integrated care systems.

A celebration of care workers and the essential work they do, created to promote awareness and raise the profile of care workers in the UK. During 18-22 September, the Care Workers' Charity will be hosting a programme of panels and information sessions which will be delivered by care workers and care managers alongside some of the biggest names in Adult Social Care. The event is accessible to all...the talks and panels will be virtual, so attendees can join from anywhere – and it’s completely free! Everyone inside and outside the sector can get involved either by attending a talk, raising money or by hosting an event in celebration of care workers.

Get involved with Professional Care Workers’ Week via Eventbrite

HMRC | Salaried hours work and the National Minimum Wage

RWK Goodman and Juice Recruitment invite you to an interactive HR Hub to discuss the upcoming changes to flexible working and the use of Artificial Intelligence in the workplace.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been substantial changes in the attitude of towards flexible working, and it is often a key requirement for employees when deciding whether to accept job offers. The Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023, which received Royal Assent on 20 July 2023, is likely to come into force in 2024. The Act brings in a number of significant changes to the current process that all employers will need to be aware of when thinking about flexible working requests, which we will look at and talk through on the day.

Artificial Intelligence has become a hot topic of discussion in the workplace with a lot of debate over the advantages and disadvantages of it being used by staff to do their jobs. Although AI is still very much in its infancy in many industries, employers will need to start thinking about its use now. We will look at some of the issues to start considering if you are going to allow staff to use AI in their roles; if staff will be banned from using it in their roles; or if, like many employers, you are as yet undecided.

Learn about the Cyber Security Awareness and AI with The Cyber Resilience Centre. Using a combination of police officers and cyber talent, the Cyber Resilience Centre for the South East supports and helps protect small businesses.

Towards the end of the session there will be a short Q&A with our guest speaker and your local Oxfordshire Association of Care Providers DSPT Team.

RWK Goodman | Remote, hybrid and flexible: making work work

RWK Goodman's Head of Employment, Malcolm Gregory, will be joined by Dr Nicola Millard, Principal Innovation Partner at BT, for a webinar all about remote, hybrid and flexible working arrangements. Taking a deep dive into workplace practices, they will discuss how working patterns and environments have been affecting - or even shaping - both the employee and the employer experience.

In this webinar, Malcolm Gregory and Dr Millard will address topics including:

At the end of the session there will be an opportunity to pose your own questions.

Due to popular demand, MS-UK has added a second date for its MS Awareness training specifically for care providers.

For more information, click here to visit our web page.

In this 5-minute briefing, Martin Wall, Customer Experience Manager for ATLAS eMAR, explains what medication accuracy is, why it's so important, how ATLAS eMAR can ensure it, and much more in this new vidcast.

Free dementia training videos shared courtesy of Norfolk Care Association:

SESCA (including the Care Association Alliance south east) has published a report on the impact of Trusted Assessor Services.

The Oxfordshire Trusted Assessor service has restarted.

The Trusted Assessor Service for Berkshire east, funded by Frimley ICS, has launched.

For Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire, the Trusted Assessor Service is run for care homes only by Lincolnshire Care Association.

Contact: Michelle Yusuf -

Community dental services are available in a variety of places to ensure everyone can have access to dental health. Some Oxfordshire residents may be registered with Berkshire community dental services.

If you wish to register a new client/ resident, please use this referral form.

If you would like the Word version of the form, please reply to this newsletter.

To facilitate assessment or repatriation, the Royal Berkshire the hospital is running a dedicated Care Home help-line for 2022. Download the flyer here.

Please remember the ward should be your first contact.

Oxfordshire Safeguarding Adults Board consultation line for professionals

The Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT)

Free DSPT support for Berks, Bucks, and Oxon

DSPT contact details for Berks, Bucks and Oxon

Please raise these through the relevant Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). All matters that go through PALS get raised at clinical governance in their particular area of expertise e.g. orthopaedics / LD etc, so it is imperative that any matters that need raising go through this route.

We are part of the largest national care association, the Care Association Alliance, with over 6,000 members across England.

This informs us of current concerns, we can source potential solutions on behalf of you and it helps inform our local communications.

We mail out once a week on a Wednesday, so you know when to look out for it. These updates will provide summary advice on emerging issues and signpost providers to government and other statutory agency advice as needed.

We are always keen to hear from providers, if you have anything you would like to share with provider colleagues, please send to the usual address.

Or contact enquiries@spectrumcareltd.co.uk

OACP is pleased to partner with the Institute of Health and Social Care Management.

For FREE access for all managers with OACP Members please contact us.

Log My Care is accredited by NHSX as an Assured Supplier for Digital Social Care Records.

Fancy a chat? We’re just a click away

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