What's New Bulletin 255 - 03 July 2025
This is edition 255 of the provider bulletin, containing information on guidance, procedures and new initiatives. Very urgent or high priority communications may still be issued on an ad hoc basis, but we will try to keep these to a minimum
1. Care Homes Market Intelligence Questionnaire (MIQ) – July 2025 – DEADLINE 18 July 2025 (Information for all 麻豆高清 and Contracted Care Homes)
2. Changes to Immigration Rules for Adult Social Care Workforce ((Information for all Providers)
3. 麻豆高清 City Council (BCC) - Free Virtual Air Quality Monitor for 麻豆高清 Care Homes, to support your Green Plan (CQC Environment Quality Statement) (Information for all Care Home Providers)
4. REMINDER SURVEY Skills for Care - Share Your Views on Learning and Development in Social Care – DEADLINE 4 July 2025 (Information for all Providers)
5. REMINDER SURVEY - Care Quality Commission (CQC) - Your Experience Matters: Help Review Visiting and Accompanying Rules in Care Homes and Hospitals – DEADLINE 9 July 2025 (Information for all Care Home Providers)
6. REMINDER NHS 麻豆高清 and Solihull (BSOL) Training Hub July 2025 (Information for 麻豆高清 and Solihull Care Homes)
7. REMINDER Skills for Care - East & West Midlands Workforce Strategy Anniversary Events - 8 and 10 July 2025 (Information for all East and West Midlands Care Providers)
8. REMINDER NHS 麻豆高清 and Solihull Mental Health - Managing Mental Health in Care Homes (Including Management of Distressed Behaviour) 10 July 2025 (Information for 麻豆高清 and Solihull Care Homes)
9. REMINDER 麻豆高清 麻豆高清 Healthcare (BCHC) NHS Foundation Trust - Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) 10 July 2025 (Information for 麻豆高清 and Solihull Care Homes)
10. Hospices of 麻豆高清 & Solihull (HOBS) - Training Sessions July and August 2025 (Information for Care Homes with Nursing in 麻豆高清 and Solihull)
1. Care Homes Market Intelligence Questionnaire (MIQ) – July 2025 – DEADLINE 18 July 2025 (Information for all 麻豆高清 and Contracted Care Homes)
Please click this link to access the questionnaire:
The deadline for completion is Friday 18 July 2025
This questionnaire is issued quarterly. Details of the questions are included in the attached briefing. Please note that we have removed the question about numbers of staff holding the skilled worker visa, because this information is collected via your Capacity Tracker return
Completion of the questionnaire is part of the terms of the Care Homes 2023 contract, for contracted providers, but we ask all 麻豆高清 care homes to take part in the process to help us meet our responsibilities to all 麻豆高清 citizens.
Many thanks to staff at the care homes who completed the previous questionnaires. If this did not include your care home, please ensure that you complete this and subsequent editions.
The purpose of the questionnaire is to collect information to assist our market shaping and development role, the production of our Market Position Statements, fulfil our Care Act duties around ensuring a quality and sustainable market, to help us direct resources, identify areas of risk, and monitor progress towards our strategic aims. It has been co-produced with health colleagues to reduce duplication in data collection, and has been streamlined so that we are only collecting information that is not available to us from elsewhere e.g. the Capacity Tracker.
Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk. This details our approach and how the data we are asking for will be used.
2. Changes to Immigration Rules for Adult Social Care Workforce ((Information for all Providers)
On the 1 July 2025, the Home Office published a major Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules (HC 997), which marks the start of the implementation of the immigration reforms set out in the Government’s Immigration White Paper, published in May 2025. These changes will take effect from 22 July 2025 and include important updates for the adult social care sector, particularly around international recruitment and in-country visa switching. The full documents are available here:
Summary of Key Changes for Adult Social Care
End of Overseas Recruitment
Overseas recruitment into adult social care roles will end on the 22 July 2025. A transition period will remain in place to allow for in-country applications, for those switching from other visa routes, to continue until 22 July 2028.
Transitional Arrangements
During the transition period, individuals already in the UK may still switch into the Health and Care visa route, but only under the following conditions:
They must currently hold a Health and Care visa and have most recently been sponsored under:
SOC 6145 (or 6135 since April 2024): Care workers and home carers, or
SOC 6146 (or 6136 since April 2024): Senior care workers
Alternatively, they must be switching from another visa route and have been legally employed by the care provider sponsor in a relevant role for at least three months at the time of application (e.g. a student working part-time in care).Ongoing Visa and Settlement Rights
International care workers who are legally sponsored and working in the UK on 22 July 2028 will continue to be eligible to: Extend their visa; Switch sponsors; Apply for settlement (subject to the rules in place at that time). The Government has confirmed that it will consult on settlement rule changes later in 2025.
Changes Effecting the Displaced Worker Pool
Whilst the requirement for care providers to evidence engagement with the regional pool of displaced international care workers has been formally removed, this remains a vital source of information about candidates who are already in the country and available to work in the adult social care sector.For more information about the West Midlands pool of displaced international care workers and associated support please visit:
(please note: this web page is in the process of being updated)
3. 麻豆高清 City Council (BCC) - Free Virtual Air Quality Monitor for 麻豆高清 Care Homes, to support your Green Plan (CQC Environment Quality Statement) (Information for all Care Home Providers)
At the recent West Midlands’ Care Home Association Conference, it was highlighted how older adults are amongst the most vulnerable to the health impacts of poor air quality. BCC is pleased to offer care homes free access to a virtual air quality monitor, providing real-time modelled data to help them better understand the local air environment around their site and support their Green Plan as part of the CQC Environment Quality Statement
To arrange a Virtual Air Quality Monitor for your care home contact airqualityfeedback@birmingham.gov.uk. You can view the modelled outdoor air quality data for care homes on a dedicated data platform below:
Here are your MyAir login details. Please keep them safe!
Username: BCC_Carehomes
Password: dohRXwrA5SZ6GLMAThis can help homes:
Monitor air quality trends in their area (see how high or low are the levels of air pollution using the colour scale on the right-hand side)
Plan activities for residents during times of cleaner air
Raise awareness among residents, staff and visitors about the importance of clean air
For support to understand and improve air quality in and around your care home, and useful hints and tips, visit:
If you have any questions, need help navigating the platform, or if you would like further advice on actions to reduce emissions around your care home, please contact us via airqualityfeedback@birmingham.gov.uk
4. REMINDER SURVEY Skills for Care - Share Your Views on Learning and Development in Social Care – DEADLINE 4 July 2025 (Information for all Providers)
Skills for Care is exploring current practices, challenges, and future learning and development plans in social care. They are gathering valuable insight from adult social care providers, enabling them to better understand needs, priorities, and expectations.鈥�
You can share your views in the following ways:
Complete a short survey (15 minutes) – submit responses by 5:00pm on 4 July 2025
Have a one-to-one conversation with us via Teams
Monday 7 July 2025, 2:00pm – 2:45pm
Your input will directly inform Skills for Care’s work improving access to support, 麻豆高清, and learning across the sector. Please use the link below for further information.
5. REMINDER SURVEY - Care Quality Commission (CQC) - Your Experience Matters: Help Review Visiting and Accompanying Rules in Care Homes and Hospitals – DEADLINE 9 July 2025 (Information for all Care Home Providers)
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is conducting a review of the effectiveness of Care Quality Commission (CQC) Regulation 9A: Visiting and accompanying in care homes, hospitals, and hospices (Regulation 9A), one year from the regulation coming into force.
Regulation 9A requires care homes, hospitals and hospices to facilitate visits into, and out of, the setting, and facilitate accompanying to outpatient appointments, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
As part of the review, DHSC launched a call for evidence on Wednesday, 28 May 2025, seeking views from patients, care home residents, providers and professionals, family members, friends, carers and advocates.
Your feedback is vital to this review. Please complete the survey using the link below to share your thoughts on the effectiveness and impacts of Regulation 9A. The survey will be open for 6 weeks, closing at 11:59pm on 9 July 2025.
An easy read version will be made available in the next few weeks, via the same link.
For further information please visit:
If you have any questions, please email visiting@dhsc.gov.uk
6. REMINDER NHS 麻豆高清 and Solihull (BSOL) Training Hub July 2025 (Information for 麻豆高清 and Solihull Care Homes)
The 麻豆高清 and Solihull Training Hub Website is for those working in a primary or social care role in the Solihull / 麻豆高清 area. The information is for students looking for support with career development or a visitor wanting to find out more.
Please use this link for training, further information and booking:
All training events are listed in the calendar section. You can also contact the training hub by email bsol.traininghub@nhs.net or phone: 0121 483 2128.
The next sessions are:
07 July 2025 Recording and Reporting - 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
10 July 2025 Managing Mental Health in a Care Home Setting - 10:00 am – 11:00 am
10 July 2025 Mental Capacity Act Awareness Training 9:30 am- 12:00 pm
11 July 2025 Virtual Training Session – Multi drug resistant organisms (MDRO)/Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
17 July 2025 Continuing Health Care Fast Track Pathway Training (July 2025) 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
7. REMINDER Skills for Care - East & West Midlands Workforce Strategy Anniversary Events - 8 and 10 July 2025 (Information for all East and West Midlands Care Providers)
It is a year since the launch of the Adult Social Care Strategy in England. Skills for Care are pleased to now be holding regional events to celebrate this and to find out about the progress of the commitments and recommendations from the sector.
You will have an opportunity to hear updates on both national and regional activity and achievements. There will be best practice examples showcased and a look forward to future activity and an opportunity for you to gain a better understanding of actions you can undertake that meet the strategy recommendations.
Who should attend?
Workforce leads
Local skills improvement plan leads
CEOs, nominated individuals and registered managers of care providers
Colleagues from care associations and learning providers
Follow the links below to book:
East Midlands 8 July 2025 -
West Midlands 10 July 2025 -
8. REMINDER NHS 麻豆高清 and Solihull Mental Health - Managing Mental Health in Care Homes (Including Management of Distressed Behaviour) 10 July 2025 (Information for 麻豆高清 and Solihull Care Homes)
The NHS 麻豆高清 and Solihull Mental Health specialists will be delivering free virtual webinars on the Managing Mental Health in Care Homes (Including Management of Distressed Behaviour). Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk
For further information contact Charlotte.ward10@nhs.net
9. REMINDER 麻豆高清 麻豆高清 Healthcare (BCHC) NHS Foundation Trust - Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) 10 July 2025 (Information for 麻豆高清 and Solihull Care Homes)
The Infection Prevention and Control Champions Forum incorporating the IPC Champions Awards will take place on Thursday, 10 July 2025 between 9.00am – 1.30pm at the Saffron Centre.
To book your place(s) for this event please use the link below:
*Free parking will be available. Refreshments will be provided please contact IPC if you have dietary requirements.
This event is geared towards care home staff who’ve previously attended an IPC Champions Training Day.
A further training day will be held later this year; details will be announced as soon as possible.
For comments, queries, infection control advice/support, and training requests please contact the team via bchc.ipcdata1@nhs.net or 0121 466 6550
10. Hospices of 麻豆高清 & Solihull (HOBS) - Training Sessions July and August 2025 (Information for Care Homes with Nursing in 麻豆高清 and Solihull)
Please see below the upcoming HOBS Online (via Zoom) Training sessions in July and August 2025, with the booking links included below:
Mental Capacity - An Introduction to the Mental Health Capacity Act 2005
How to assess capacity
Best interest decisions
Wednesday 16 July, 1 Hour (1.00pm - 2.00pm)
Nausea & Vomiting
Common causes of nausea and vomiting in palliative care patients
Pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions
How to support with the emotional impact of severe symptoms at end of life
Wednesday 20 August 1 Hour (1.00pm - 2.00pm)
Further information about this subject has been circulated to providers. If you don’t have a copy, please email marketintelligence@birmingham.gov.uk