CareFind system to help care homes find clients
A new, free system developed by NECS Capacity Tracker called CareFind is helping care homes find clients. Providers put their capacity data on the system and keep it up to date. Citizens can then search for care. At present, it is only available for care homes but NECS Capacity Tracker have said they will address homecare after this. NECS announcement, which lists the benefits and training sessions for care homes.
Information for local authorities on charging for care and support
Guidance has been published on for local authorities in England on social care charging for 2024 to 2025: Social care charging for local authorities: 2024 to 2025. Capital limits remain at their current level (lower capital limit £14,250 and upper capital limit £23,250), personal expenses allowance (PEA) for local authority-supported care home residents increases in line with inflation, minimum income guarantee (MIG) for people receiving local authority-arranged care and support other than in a care home increases in line with inflation and Savings Credit disregards increase in line with inflation. These rates apply to individuals receiving care in a care home, their own home or another setting.
Delegated healthcare activities: learn and share event - 29 February 2024, from 10:00 to 15:00
Skills for Care are hosting an in-person event, for the Department of Health and Social Care, aimed at those with experience of delegated healthcare activities. The event will take place at One Park Crescent, London W1B 1SH, and delegates will hear about the learning from a recent evaluation undertaken by Skills for Care of the voluntary guiding principles and resources to support delegation of healthcare activities. Deborah Sturdy CBE, Chief Nurse for Social Care, will lead the day.
Places are limited, so book now to avoid disappointment.
Fully updated DSPT guidance
The Data Security and Protections Toolkit has been fully updated with guidance on completing every section, including updated short videos, tips on answering each question, links to templates, policies and resources to help care providers to reach Standards Met on the DSPT. Better Security, Better Care’s new guidance also includes information on the relevance of the DSPT to commissioners, regulators and tech suppliers. View the updated DSPT guide and Access support from Better Security, Better Care.
Opportunity for care providers to share views and experiences of managing cyber security
The Department of Health and Social Care is about to launch a survey to understand more about how cyber security is currently managed within the adult social care sector, part of a wider programme on cyber security and data risk. Providers are being invited to take part either via email or telephone. Email invitations will be sent in February 2024 from [email protected] and [email protected]. Some care providers may be contacted by Ipsos by telephone, from a phone number starting 0131. More information from Digital Care Hub.
eLearning on data protection
Care providers can use Better Security, Better Care’s free comprehensive eLearning resource for staff, available as a SCORM file which you can download into your own LMS. There is a new ‘locked’ version which ensures users complete all sections as they work their way through the course. There are four modules – each one takes between 10 and 20 minutes and there is an assessment which generates a certificate if a user gets 80% of questions right. Access data security and protection elearning course
Fujitsu: excluding bidders for poor performance
Anthony Collins Solicitors have issued a briefing on excluding bidders for poor performance. They say although the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 provide a route for excluding bidders for poor past performance, the scope is narrow and generally, there is little public transparency of where performance issues have arisen. The briefing looks at circumstances which would permit exclusion and how this differs from the Procurement Act 2023.
NHS England's weekly winter data shows an average of 688 patients were in hospital each day last week with norovirus – up 80% on the same time last month (376), and 75% higher than the same time last year (393). There was also an average of 2,226 patients with flu in hospital each day last week – up 70% in a month (1,312 the week ending Dec 31). Separate figures show Covid still remains a concern, with an average 3,982 patients in hospital with Covid each day last week – up from 3,895 each day the week before. (Press release, 1 February 2024. Update on 9 February 2024, showing a mixed picture.)
NHSmail Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
The NHSmail team in NHS England have issued an update with information for all NHSmail users including those working in social care. The team says it is important to protect NHS resources by using Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) - an additional way of checking that is it really you when you log into your NHSmail account - so ensure your account is protected by switching on MFA.
