| This consultation will close at 5pm on 4 March. You can find more information in our recent news story, Ian Trenholm's blog, a series of recorded webinars on our YouTube channel, and in our latest CQC Connect podcast.  We also want to hear your feedback on our proposed changes for flexible regulation. In this document, we're proposing some specific changes that will enable us to deal with ongoing challenges from the pandemic and move us towards our ambition to be a more dynamic, proportionate and flexible regulator. This consultation will close at 5pm on 23 March. In his latest blog, Ian Trenholm, Chief Executive of CQC, talks about the specific changes being proposed and what they mean for different sectors. Provider Information Return - pilot We'll be piloting an updated version of the Adult Social Care Provider Information Return (PIR) from 10th March 2021. The PIR has been paused for 12 months and in that time we've been working on improving it. The PIR gathers important information not collected elsewhere which we use to support how we monitor the quality of care. We've listened to your concerns about provider burden and reduced the number of questions by a third across all areas. Alongside this we continue to work with stakeholders across adult social care to develop our approaches to data collection and sharing. During the first month we'll be testing our approach therefore submissions will be voluntary. We understand the challenges in social care at the moment and if you're not able to make your submission just let us know. This will help us to assess the impact the collection is having on providers. Where possible requests will not be sent to those locations currently reporting outbreaks of COVID-19. Those returning a PIR in March will have the opportunity to feedback about the process. We'll use this feedback to make further improvements before launching fully in April. Requests to complete a PIR will be sent out via e mail based on the anniversary of the first site visit date, with additional requests for services registered for more than 10 months. There is no link between the PIR request and our inspection schedules. Please ignore any requests for PIRs that you've received previously. If you have any feedback or queries please do not hesitate to email us. Market Oversight guidance update Between August and October 2020, we ran an engagement exercise for providers and the public to comment on proposals to update the Market Oversight provider guidance, based on the scheme's operation and lessons learned since 2015. Thank you to everyone who took part in the engagement. We've just published the updated guidance and the below; - Market Oversight –a quick guide
- Market Oversight feedback to engagement exercise questions and our response
- Market Oversight Traverse analysis
You can read all the documents our website. COVID-19 vaccination: Infection Prevention and Control Once you've had the vaccine you will still need to follow the guidance in your workplace, including wearing the correct personal protection equipment and taking part in any screening programmes. The vaccine can't give you COVID-19 infection, and 2 doses will reduce your chance of becoming seriously ill. No vaccine is completely effective and it will take a few weeks for your body to build up protection. To continue to protect yourself, your residents, your family, friends and colleagues you should follow the general advice at work, at home and when you are out and about: - practice social distancing
- wear a face mask
- wash your hands carefully and frequently
- follow the current guidance
You can read the full vaccination guidance on the GOV.UK website. Collaboration in urgent and emergency care In a new blog, Dr Rosie Benneyworth, Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care, discusses our recent report highlighting positive examples of provider collaboration in urgent and emergency care during the coronavirus pandemic. Read the blog. Working together to improve health and social care for all The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) have published their white paper Working together to improve health and social care for all. The paper discusses the importance of collaborative working across health and care systems and sets out plans for legislative change. You can read the paper on the GOV.UK website. COVID-19 Insight: Issue 8 This month's COVID-19 insight report takes a closer look at how urgent and emergency care services have been affected by the pandemic during the winter, and highlights action CQC is taking to support services under pressure. The challenges for emergency departments have included how to manage services safely, through social distancing and infection control measures, while ensuring people have timely access to treatment. We also continue to publish data on designated settings and the death rates in both care homes and of people detained under the Mental Health Act. You can read the report and accompanying news story on our website. Overcoming vaccine hesitancy in our diverse communities The UK's COVID-19 vaccination programme is well underway. Though vaccine hesitancy may be preventing some people from taking up the vaccine, for example, black and minority ethnic people (BME). People may have concerns about the safety of the vaccine, had a poor experience of the healthcare system, and personal experience of health inequalities. There may also be culturally related misinformation on the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as concerns about where personal information will be shared. You can use or refer your staff to the links provided in our guidance section at the end of this bulletin to find out more on vaccination and the COVID-19 vaccine. Care home residents to be allowed one regular visitor from 8 March as part of cautious easing lockdown plan The Government has announced the new single named visitor scheme for care homes which will go live 8 March. This forms part of the roadmap to cautiously easing lockdown restrictions in England, recently announced by the Prime Minister. All care home residents can nominate a single named visitor for indoor visiting, supported with LFD tests on every visit and appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). Those with highest care needs can also nominate an 'essential family carer'. With the agreement of the care home, these visitors will have access to the same testing and PPE as care home staff, so they can provide support with washing and dressing or eating well. Detailed guidance will be published soon, and in the meantime you can read more in this update from the Department of Health and Social Care. COVID-19 Oximetry @Home Services for care home residents The Care Provider Alliance (CPA) have created a guidance document that combines the current national guidance on COVID-19 Oximetry services. The document brings together existing guidance into a single document with some extra detail in terms of what this means for people who live and work in care homes. The main target audiences are care home managers and staff. The COVID-19 Oximetry @home and the Covid Virtual Ward programmes are packages of care for individuals with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 who are at risk of future deterioration, including people living in their own homes and residents of care homes. You can read and down load the guidance on the CPA website.  | | Transforming the way CQC regulates services for people with a learning disability and autistic people In a new blog Debbie Ivanova, Deputy Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care, updates on the work CQC is doing to improve the way we register, monitor and inspect services to make sure the quality of care in services for people with a learning disability and or autistic people is good. Read the blog on our Medium page. | New guidance on continuing regulatory history From 1 April 2019, CQC changed how our website shows the 'regulatory history' of locations where health and care services are carried out. For registration applications completed from that date, where there is a change of ownership or address at an existing location (service), the previous 'regulatory history' of the location (its rating and inspection report) will continue to be displayed against the new location. We will not apply this retrospectively to applications completed before 1 April 2019. EU Settlement Scheme and adults using social care This Care Provider Alliance (CPA) and Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) have published a resource which provides information and guidance about the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) and its implications for adults who use social care services, whether it be in their own home, residential setting, and/or access care support on a regular or infrequent basis. If you are responsible for providing care services, are a carer in any capacity, or know of an individual or family who may need to apply, this guidance will help you to: - identify those who need to make an application and
- provide practical support to apply to the scheme.
You can read the resource on the CPA website. There is also a helpful resource for care providers as employers of staff here. ADASS webinars on EUSS To help raise awareness of the EUSS and help signpost to over 70 organisations who can provide direct assistance to applicants, ADASS is hosting a series of webinars. All events will be attended by a member of the Home Office EUSS Grants Team, guest speakers and will include an overview of the EU Settlement Scheme. The webinars take place; - Tuesday 2 March 11.30 – 12.30pm For Principal Social Workers and Social work staff
- Thursday 4 March 1.00-2.00pm Chaired by James Bullion, ADASS President
- Thursday 11 March – 4.00-5.00 For organisations supporting Homeless/Rough Sleepers
You can book your place and find out more by visiting the ADASS website. Immigration health surcharge: applying for reimbursement If you work in adult social care and paid the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) you may be able to claim money back from the Government. Anyone holding a relevant visa, who has worked in health and social care continuously for at least six months commencing on or after 31 March 2020 and has paid the IHS may be eligible for a reimbursement. You must have been working for at least 16 hours per week during that period, but this can be in more than one eligible job. Reimbursement payments are processed in six-month instalments in arrears. If you think you're eligible you can find out more information and apply on the GOV.UK website. NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) is looking for eligible people to test the online service. If you'd like to take part in the research and feedback to help improve the service, you can contact NHSBSA directly. Share your views: Public Health England flu vaccination campaign Public Health England (PHE) recently ran a campaign to encourage social care workers in England to get vaccinated against the flu. They are keen to know how effective the campaign was and to learn what social care workers thought of it. This will help them improve their plans and communications next year. PHE has asked Kantar Public, an independent research company, to survey social care workers. You can take part by clicking on this link, which will take you to an online survey. You will not be asked for any information that could identify you and the results will only be used by PHE to improve next year's campaign. You will not receive any further marketing or research contacts as a result of taking part. The closing date for responses is 5pm 12 March 2021. The survey will take 5-10 minutes to complete, and your views will help inform and improve future campaigns.
Culturally appropriate care We've created draft website guidance on culturally appropriate care based on our key lines of enquiry, and examples of good practice seen by inspection staff and colleagues across CQC. We'd welcome your feedback on this guidance to ensure it's a useful resource for all social care providers. Culturally appropriate care can be described as care that is alert, considerate and responsive to the attitudes, feelings and or circumstances of the individual that has a distinctive racial, national, religious, linguistic or cultural heritage. When reading the draft guidance, it may be useful to consider that people using services may have: - Less contact with others affirming their culture – e.g. family and friends
- No opportunity to have contact with their culture or community outside their home
- More time spent with people who do not share their culture – e.g. if living in a care home
- More life events that have cultural significance – e.g. end of life
Our intention is to help you ensure the quality of care for people is in line with their lived experiences. You can access the draft guide and share your views through our digital participation platform by signing up or logging in. LGBT+ History Month For the first time, CQC's LGBT+ Network is marking LGBT+ History Month in February, following a successful first CQC Virtual Pride in July 2020. The network wants to show support to colleagues as well as providers and the public, reinforcing that CQC strives for equal and good quality care for everybody. The below one hour session is open to anyone who wishes to attend. For more information and to sign up please contact ray.mason@cqc.org.uk - CQC 'Twitter Takeover' by the LGBT+ Network
Friday 26 February, all day All CQC offices are closed Please do not send post - visit our website for details on how to contact us. There is now an overview of adult social care guidance on the GOV UK website COVID-19 Vaccine resources Accessibility resources to help you communicate about COVID-19   Follow us on Twitter! Keep up with our work with professionals and provider organisations in England by following us on Twitter @CQCProf. | | 
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