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ASC Provider Briefing - 05 August 2022
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Dear Care Provider Colleagues,
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Welcome to this week's briefing.
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We hope you are enjoying the nice weather. Thank you for your continued hard work.
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This week's briefing is jam-packed with information, including an announcement about the return of Care Provider Learning and Engagement Meetings, some information about Falls, the publication of SSAB's Annual Report, a guide to ASC Provider Partnerships in Integrated Care Systems, an article about a recent meeting between care providers and Gillian Keegan, Minister of State for Care and Mental health, the latest Covid update, and much more. There are also events including training from Skills for Care about Workforce Planning, our next Provider Webinar and Q&A (August 15th, 4pm), and an invitation to training from the RCPA.
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Please find the latest news and updates from Adult Social Care below:
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Care Provider Learning and Engagement Meetings (LEMs)
Care Provider Learning and Engagement Meetings (LEMs) have been on hold since Covid overtook priorities and took the world by storm. The great news is LEMS are coming back and will be held the first Tuesday of every month, 2-4pm, starting 2pm, 6 September 2022. The meetings will be virtual you just need to click on the link below, subsequent virtual links will be sent on a monthly basis via the provider brief.
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Anna Baverstock, Paediatrician, Lead for Senior Doctor Wellbeing is the guest speaker at the first session (06/09/22) – speaking about “Kindness” and sharing wellbeing resources. It’s a chance to reset the clock, see where we are now and how to move forward. Following this there will be a ‘Question and Answer’ period giving you our Care Providers of Somerset the opportunity to share your visions of the LEMS, what you want to achieve from them, what you want to discuss, what you find beneficial, which professionals you would like to attend and any other ideas you have. The LEMs are a resource for ALL of you.
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We understand attendance may be difficult due to conflicting demands, annual leave etc, so the LEMS are open to everyone in your organisation from Operational Directors to Care assistants and admin staff. It’s also possible to attend part or all of the meeting and we will record them so you can watch them when the time is right for you.
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The LEMs will be chaired by Rachel Caunce, Care Provider Support Officer and Supported Living Quality Assurance Lead (new in post from 1st June 2022). Her role is to offer support to ALL providers in all aspects of care provision. This could be following a request for support from yourselves or following up on your Quarterly Assessment Form submission or after a Quality visit or CQC inspection. She will support you to make changes to improve your care provision.
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In addition, she is the Quality Assurance Lead for Supported Living provision so will be following up on quality concerns with those providers.
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Rachel is a qualified Social Worker who has worked in both Children’s and Adults Social Care here in Somerset. Rachel’s experience of Care dates back to 1988 when she volunteered for the local Alzheimer’s Society Coffee Morning and at Five Ways School as a Activity Support Worker in the summer holidays. This was when Rachel developed her interest in the Care sector. Throughout her years she has had multiple roles in Care Homes from care assistant to Deputy Manager, Training Manager, Gold Standard Framework Lead to name a few. In addition to these roles Rachel was also in the Royal Air Force and was a Health and Social Care Assessor for Richard Huish College. Rachel has a passion for the Care industry that spans over 30 years and is here to share her knowledge and experience with you, our Somerset Care Providers.
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To join the first LEM meeting on 6 September (2-4pm), see details below:
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Join on your computer or mobile app
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Meeting ID: 386 355 623 016
Passcode: Exr9X6
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Phone Conference ID: 141 576 771#
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Falls
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We are doing a lot of work around falls at the moment, both falls prevention and post-fall advice and support.
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Reminder: Equipment Offer
We are in the process of procuring a number of Mangar Eagle Lifting Cushions (photo below) for nursing and residential homes across the county. A member of the team is making contact with these settings.
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If you haven’t heard from us and you would be interested, please email MPerry@somerset.gov.uk with the title Equipment Offer by Wednesday 10th of August and we will get in touch.
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Deconditioning
Deconditioning can have multiple causes and can have significant impact on a person’s mobility and physical, intellectual, mental and emotional wellbeing, leading to amongst many things:
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- increased risk of falls
- increased risk of pressure damage
- loss of confidence and self-esteem
We believe that incorporating activity into a person’s daily routine can help reduce these risks and is something all staff can support with.
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The LARCH team can visit care homes to discuss further, provide a training session and support in follow up.
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Please contact larch@ydh.nhs.uk for further information or to book a visit from a member of the team.
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Urgent Community Response
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If you have an urgent care need such as a fall where there is no immediate threat to life, please call 999 or 111 and ask for the Urgent Community Response or UCR. For more information, see this presentation slide.
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Somerset Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report and Safeguarding Awards
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It’s not too late to nominate a professional and/or team for the National Safeguarding Adults Awards 2022, for which local nominations close on 05/09/2022. Find out more here: https://bit.ly/3PUo05s
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ASC Provider Partnerships in Integrated Care Systems (Published August 2022)
The Care Provider Alliance has developed a guide for adult social care providers on Integrated Care Systems and the opportunities they provide for partnership working between health and social care.
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ICSs are partnerships between health and care organisations, coming together to collectively plan and deliver health and care to meet the needs of their population. The guide has been developed with input and support from NHS England and is designed to help providers understand ICS and, at the same time, help ICSs have a better understanding of the value of the full participation and engagement from adult social care providers.
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For more information about Somerset’s ICS, see:
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Capacity Tracker
Changes to the capacity tracker were implemented this week on Wednesday 3rd of August.
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Could we also please remind Homes of the need to update the Booster 2 (Spring booster) total on the Capacity Tracker if not already done - this information is required by NHS England.
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Meeting of providers from small/medium sized social care services with Gillian Keegan, Minister for Care and Mental Health on 21 July 2022
In December 2021 the government announced its 10 year vision to reform adult social care. As part of that reform, it announced the Fair Cost of Care (FCOC) Fund. The primary purpose of the fund is to support local authorities to prepare their markets for reform and to support them to move towards paying providers a fair cost of care.
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Recently, Linden House Nursing Home in Wellington was amongst a group of 7 adult social care providers from across England who were invited to a meeting with Gillian Keegan, Minister for Social Care. The Minister sought to understand any barriers that were preventing providers from completing the current Fair Cost of Care exercise whose purpose is to inform local authorities and the government of the cost of providing care. The meeting was an ideal opportunity for the attendees to highlight not only the challenges faced by providers when completing the FCOC tool but also the enormous pressures linked to lack of staff, inadequate funding and ever-increasing workload.
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The Minister acknowledged that some providers’ reluctance to complete the tool stemmed from the feeling that the data collected would not reflect an average year. The concern was because the tool asks for data from 2021/22 when Covid pressures were the greatest yet occupancy in many homes was severely affected and thus income significantly reduced. Expenditure was therefore by necessity on a needs only basis and not informed by the need/desire to invest in improving the service. However, she felt that no time was the “right” time and the government was keen to gather the data as quickly as possible to inform the reforms.
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Those at the meeting discussed the “been there, done that, nothing has ever changed” attitude of some providers. None of the providers present supported this attitude as they all felt that if providers do not engage, they cannot help influence change. There was also a discussion around the length of time it takes to complete the tool and the complexity of some aspects of the tool which may lead to a reluctance/inability to complete the FCOC exercise. Attendees made clear to the Minister that in fact there was a huge amount of help and support that was being offered and delivered by various stakeholders.
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Also raised was the fact that the tool does not reflect the huge hidden costs which impact on smaller providers more than the larger ones e.g. the amount of time providers and registered managers have to work over and above any contracted/paid hours due to increased workload brought on by regulators, commissioners and other stakeholders. Another hidden cost is not represented in the tool is the amount of personal investment providers were making with their own money and time to keep their businesses solvent.
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The minister reiterated frequently that the government was committed to supporting the much-needed reform of social care and reminded the attendees that the money had already been earmarked to allow the reforms to take place. However, she was reluctant to be drawn into a discussion about the fundamental need for parity of Ts & Cs for social care staff with those of the NHS not only to stop the migration of staff from social care to the NHS but to aid recognition of the vital work that social care staff undertake.
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During the meeting attendees were able to voice, and repeatedly stress using examples, the seriousness and critical nature of the challenges social care faces. In particular, one of the themes was how many small providers are on the verge of being forced to close services and how investment has to take a back seat at a time when so many are worrying month by month whether they are going to be able to fund the wages bill.
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The Minister acknowledged the providers’ passion and commitment and said that she understood their “short term pressures”. She said that help was coming and reassured the attendees that she had found the meeting very useful and would like to maintain the dialogue with the group.
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Submitted by Sandra Joyce from Sandringham Care
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New Service Launched for Wheelchair and Community Equipment Users
Somerset County Council and NHS Somerset have launched a new Community Equipment and Wheelchair Service to help people live more independently.
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Previously running as two separate services, (a Community Equipment Service and separate Wheelchair Service) this new integrated provision will ensure that those requiring equipment for the home or a wheelchair to support them will experience a more joined up process and for professionals it will mean using only one system for all equipment requirements.
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Launching on Monday 1 August, the new service provides a range of equipment to help people live independently, offering loans to people for as long they need them. The service will also include delivery and fitting, servicing, collection, and recycling.
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Following a competitive tender process, Medequip were awarded the five-year contract to provide the Community Equipment and Wheelchair Service for adults, children, and young people in Somerset.
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Medequip are working with AJM Healthcare, who will manage the Wheelchair and Ceiling Track Hoist Services.
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Nottingham University Care Home Surveys
Currently Nottingham University is involved in research seeking perspectives from care home staff around acute deterioration. There is an e-voucher in compensation for participation in one of the studies.
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Latest Covid-19 Outbreak update
(Friday 05 August 2022)
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We are currently still experiencing high levels of system pressure. We appreciate your hard work in this time.
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Public Health
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Please could all enquiries for Somerset County Council Public Health Team be sent to publichealth@somerset.gov.uk. We are no longer using the SCC PH Incident Room mailbox.
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Events
Provider Webinar and Q&A
The next Provider Webinar and Q&A will be taking place on Mon 15 Aug at 4pm. This will be an important engagement session led by Denise D’Souza (Assistant Director for Adult Social Care Commissioning) as we discuss what you want from these sessions going forwards, and we hope you will be able to join us. There will also be a discussion of the latest developments and concerns and the opportunity to ask any questions you may have for us.
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Still Places Available:
Workforce Planning Workshops
Do you want to understand more about social care workforce planning? A good workforce plan will help your organisation be more successful and ensure you have the right people with the right skills at the right time to meet the needs and future opportunities for your business and the local population.
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Skills for Care is working in partnership with Somerset County Council to deliver a free to attend learning and development opportunity for care provider employers across Somerset to engage them in workforce planning and workforce re-design.
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This will consist of two face-to-face half days sessions that will describe what workforce planning is, national and local drivers, how to affect change and workforce transformation, as well as provide a number of practical resources.
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This will be followed by a virtual follow-up session to share ideas, learning, any challenges and hear from others.
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After attending the course, delegates will be able to:
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- Define what is workforce planning
- Explain why it is important
- Demonstrate how find relevant data and summarise using templates
- Interpret data, local and national drivers to establish priorities to create a workforce plan
The workshops are targeted primarily at those with a responsibility for workforce transformation and re-design from any size of organisation, for example senior managers/owners, nominated individuals, registered managers, HR leads.
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These workshops will take place in two cohorts. You can select your preferred cohort when you register.
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Wednesday 14 September 2022 and Tuesday 20 September 2022
10:00 – 13:00 (09:30 registration)
The Albemarle Centre, Taunton
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Wednesday 28 September 2022 and Tuesday 04 October 2022
10:00 – 13:00 (09:30 registration)
The Albemarle Centre, Taunton
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Both cohorts – virtual session
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Thursday 17 November 2022
10:00 – 12:00
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I am pleased to advise that the RCPA now have a dedicated Project Delivery Officer who will be delivering DSPT (Data Security and Protection Toolkit) training and offering 1:1 support for all providers in Somerset. Dan Plummer will be running our DSPT webinars and also holding drop-in sessions for those of you who have specific queries. Our August events are as follows:
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10th August 11am-12pm – Webinar - Introduction and How to Register with the DSPT
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24th August 11am-12pm – DSPT Drop-In Session
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If you are interested in attending one or both of these events then please email your details to admin@rcpa.org.uk and we will book you in and send you the Teams meeting link.
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If you are unable to attend these events but require some support please do email us your details and we will ask Dan to get in touch with you.
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Registered Care Providers Association
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Upcoming Event Reminders
- Application of the Mental Capacity Act for 16 and 17 Year Olds, Tuesday 11th October 2022, 9am to 1.30pm. See the flyer, and book your place here.
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Please continue to share or promote these briefings and our webpage to others in your organisations.
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Our incident room mailbox and contact details (see below) remains operational during core working hours so please get in touch if you have any urgent concerns or queries we can look to assist you with.
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Somerset’s Provider Engagement Team
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Adult Social Care (ASC) COVID19 Response Team
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