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

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

OACP Daytime support network - for non-CQC registered daytime support and day centre services

OACP Home Care network - for registered home care providers

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

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

Oxfordshire Registered Manager Network - for Registered Managers and Deputies

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.

If you're looking to gain oversight and insight into the complete international recruitment process delivered by immigration law specialists, or just looking to resolve knotty issues, then this is for you.

Weston Turville Golf Club

New Road, Aylesbury HP22 5QT

DoubleTree by Hilton St. Anne's Manor

London Road, Wokingham, RG40 1ST

Howbery Business Park, Fountain Conference Centre

Benson Lane, Wallingford OX10 8FD

Now Live - South East International Recruitment Hub. Find out more here

Better Housing Better Health is here to support everyone with their home energy issues, from help understanding energy prices and tariffs to energy bill discounts and funding for heating systems and insulation. We also offer free home energy visits. Our team of trained home energy advisors can advise on bills and debt, provide guidance on issues such as draughts, condensation and mould, help residents understand their heating system and much more. They will assess a resident’s property, assess for local and national funding, and signpost them to other services that can help people save money at home. We also have funding for small household items to help people stay cool or keep warm.

"It is a great a service it has helped me and my children loads. When we first moved in here we thought that we were moving into a ice cold house now it is a warm home. It's the little things make a difference." Miss D, Oxford 

To make a referral please visit BHBH website:

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.

This initiative is 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

Activate Learning are keen to work alongside the Health & Social Care sector to ensure they create the right talent for your business.

Feedback from within the industry says that when businesses play a part in the development stage - helping to shape students early on - students can go into their employment when they leave college and hit the ground running.

To find how you can get involved see this flyer.

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

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_

This poster has more information and their presentation can be viewed on the recording of the meeting via this link and starts 35 minutes in for 20 minutes. https://tinyurl.com/2p8bjc4m.

The team can be contacted at bobicb-bw.placements@nhs.net

Please see attached flyer for Level2 certificate in Awareness in Mental Health.

This course is fully funded and is available to anybody in Oxfordshire and surrounding counties.

It might be a good opportunity for staff to have some CPD in this area to enable them to underpin their knowledge and be able to support others.

For those of you who are employer/ providers of apprenticeships it might help you support apprentices as well.

If you have any questions contact Abingdon and Witney college: enquiry@abingdon-witney.ac.uk

NECS have reported that Capacity Tracker (CT) receive their lowest ever submissions as at 13 June across England.

June 2023 is the first month where non-consistent entries may prompt fines. The first step is a NOI notice of intent, which provides just 14 days to respond and is accompanied by potential CQC enforcement. Penalty fines, if imposed, will be equal to your CQC registration fee.

Providers who have received a NOI letter are contacting CT when they should contact enforcement team. Enforcement contact details are included in the letter.

Letters are sent by post. We have suggested NECS send these by email as well.

Some NOIs were issued at end of June. Fines may follow in a July-August timescale.

It appears that usually data not received is consistently from the same providers, but NECS have noted that amongst those reporting there are three groups:

Care Providers cannot submit retrospective data. If you miss the window, you cannot upload your monthly data.

NECS has also stated that reporting cannot be done from outside the UK for security reasons. Uploading must be done from device IP address in the UK.

NECS have offered the following tips to make the process smoother:

NECS offer regular provider training sessions found in: Resource Centre > Events > Provider Training sessions

If your details are incorrect because you have moved registered premises or your business has changed owners, please escalate any concerns about data to CQC. Capacity Tracker gets its data feed from CQC.

To make this smoother, 'Contact CQC' has been added to the Help drop down menu

Individuals and organisations interested in contributing to the CWC’s mission can visit its Just Giving page or find out more on its website.

REMINDER: In Oxfordshire, starter grants and crisis grants are still available via the dedicated Oxfordshire grants page.

UK care operators have been accused of exploiting migrant workers in an article in The Guardian and many other news outlets. Unison says it is receiving increasing reports about care workers who were:

Whilst it is difficult to understand the extent of the concerns, all agencies are agreed that there is an increase in incidents. We understand from SE ADASS that six care operators in the south east have had their sponsorship licences suspended pending investigation for 'not following processes'. These may be entirely innocent errors or deliberate manipulation.

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. There still some places available for our International Recruitment seminars - see Local News above - mostly at the Aylesbury and Wokingham events. These are led by immigration specialists and will form the basis for further support to the local sector.

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

Thank you to everyone who completed their Digital Security Protection Toolkit over the last few weeks ahead of the deadline in mid-July. National compliance sits at 62.90% as of Friday 7 July.

In our local area our compliance rate sits slightly higher at 65.11%. This is a huge increase from the 2% when our DSPT team took on the challenge in April 2021.

DSPT is a self-assessment of your processes that provides an action plan to improve digital security.

Free support is available to you to complete and ensure you are protected and secure.

Email DSPT@oacp.org.uk for more information. Available to ALL registered care providers in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. For MK please contact Bedfordshire Care Group

Criminals have exploited a vulnerability in Progress Software’s MOVEit file transfer app, which is used by thousands of organisations around the world. A number of organisations whose supply chains use the MOVEit app have suffered a data breach as a result, with customer and/or employee data being stolen.

The National Cyber Security Council is working with UK organisations to understand and respond to this incident. More information and the latest updates can be found on the NCSC website.

It is also important to note that organisations that do not use MOVEit, may still be affected if a business in their supply chain does. This further highlights how vital supply chain mapping and security is.

The care sector is facing significant challenges that are forcing some providers to exit the market. The combination of challenging funding environment, rise in energy costs, recruitment issues, increasing regulation and market saturation is making it difficult for small and medium sized operators to remain in business.

A new report by IFS, part of an annual report on living standards, poverty and inequality and funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, finds that this wasn't the case for many. Findings show that nearly half of the older adults who had left the workforce in 2020–21 ended up in relative poverty.

The launch of this service follows publication of the Adverse Weather and Health Plan.

A dedicated platform for these alerts went live on 1 June, including the current alert status for all regions of England. Any Heat-Health Alerts will contain headline information when issued plus actions required.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) figures show there were 174,600 new dwellings completed for England in 2022/23. This is 3,400 more than in 2021/22. The number of new dwellings completed as a percentage of total dwellings in England was 0.7%.

For Oxfordshire, there were 4,140 new dwellings. This figure as a percentage of total dwellings is not available for 2023/23, but in 2021/22, new dwellings were 1.2% of existing provision.

DLUHC figures show Council tax collected per head of population for England in 2022/23 was £631.07, up from £599.16 in 2021/22. Council tax not collected as a percentage of council tax due was 4.15% for England in 2022/23, from 4.30% in 2021/22.

Oxfordshire collects £785.08 per head of local population in 2022/23, up £50.02 from 2021/22.

Council tax not collected in 2022/23 as a percentage of council tax due was 2.68%, down from 2.82% the year before. However, these two years show significantly higher percentages than in previous years, a trend consistent across most shire county comparators.

DHSC has launched a consultation on the Oliver McGowan Code of Practice which will close on 19 September.

Following news that the universal Covid-19 vaccination offer was closing on 30 June, DHSC and UKHSA have circulated this briefing outlining how people who have been identified as being potentially eligible for COVID-19 treatments can get access.

Please read it because there are references to social care.

For further details please see the website at cptv.org.uk

New regulations will give the Care Quality Commission (CQC) additional powers to allow families to visit loved ones receiving care in residential and other settings.

DHSC is considering reasonable explanations and specific exceptions to the proposed regulations. They have suggested options as reasonable exceptions depending on circumstances:

Care Shop have listened to Spectrum Members requests and have produced this Bed and Pressure Care offers for limited time period.

To take advantage of these please call Chris quoting your Spectrum membership.

On Wednesday 21 June at 4pm the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) will be hosting another session about the Energy Bills Discount Scheme heat network support. You can register here.

During this event they will provide an update on the scheme including further information about the bulk upload facility which will allow heat suppliers with multiple networks to submit more than one application at a time. They will also take questions from attendees.

Government introduced energy bills support for non-domestic customers over the winter period following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resulting increase in wholesale energy prices. The standard Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) was introduced to support customers with standard energy supply arrangements. This was followed by the EBRS for Non-Standard Cases (NSC), launched in January for non-domestic customers supplied by licence-exempt providers via the grid where prices paid are pegged to wholesale energy prices.

Applications are open for an expanded cohort to apply retrospectively for support under EBRS NSC, covering eligible energy consumed between 1 October 2022 and 31 March 2023. This cohort now also includes care providers on licence-exempt supply that provided via private wire or pipe not through the grid, where prices paid are pegged to wholesale energy prices.

The expanded cohort are also now eligible for support under the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS) for Non-Standard Cases, covering eligible energy consumed between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024. The EBDS was introduced following a HM Treasury review of the energy schemes and reflects the fact that wholesale prices are lower than they were.

Eligibility: care providers that receive gas and/or electricity via wire or pipe from a licence-exempt provider where prices paid are pegged to wholesale energy prices. Support is only available when wholesale prices exceed a certain threshold and is subject to a maximum rate. We are encouraging Qualified Energy Providers to apply on behalf of their customers where possible.

The COVID-19 Public Inquiry is split into 6 modules. The module 1 hearings on Resilience and Preparedness began earlier this week with opening statements from the Chair, Counsel and Core Participants to the first module. This can be viewed here but please be aware there are a number of accounts and portions of film which contain upsetting material and may trigger some difficult feelings and emotions. Public hearings for the other modules will begin at various points over the next two years. These modules cover the following topics:

Alongside the modules, the Inquiry has also launched ‘Every Story Matters’- a mechanism to allow members of the public to share their experiences of the pandemic with the Inquiry team. Every story will be used to shape the Inquiry’s investigations and published in themed and anonymised reports which will feature as part of the Inquiry’s evidence. A Partner Toolkit has been published to assist with this. Again, we realise this could potentially lead to a huge amount of work for Members – we are currently working through what we can do to support.

You can now watch the whole series on YouTube.

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

This webinar focused on the approach to assessing local authorities.

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

Dates for all future sessions are available in the Resource Centre.

A report is also available to all providers, to check your monthly update status, it can be accessed via this link: Update Monthly Status report

This webinar is for anyone dealing with SSP. It will cover the qualifying conditions:

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.

Series three features Good Oaks Home Care as the first UK carbon neutral home care company. Ben Ashton, the co-founder and director talks about what you have to do to become carbon neutral, why it is so important and how it fits so well with values-based recruitment and retention. Ben also talks about his positive experiences and shares his learnings of recruiting internationally

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

Contact us

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

PCS is an Assured Supplier for Digital Social Care Records

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