Start your journey to a smoke-free life today with the help of our stop smoking services for not just you, but also for your loved ones. Stop for life Oxon offer free weekly support and a range of quitting aids that can help guide you to a happier and healthier future.

Everyone's journey is unique. For some, it might involve establishing a new routine or keeping themselves occupied. For others, having a friend or family member join in can provide the encouragement needed to stay motivated.

No matter what approach suits you best, Stop for Life Oxon is here to support you every step of the way: www.stopforlifeoxon.org/well-worth-it

Dear Care Provider,

Hopefully, you are already aware that the regulations relating to the procurement of public services and goods are changing from 24th February 2025. This is part of a reset of how the UK does business for public contracts following Brexit and taking into account the new Government’s National Procurement Strategy.

Key Points:

• Suppliers must register on the Central Digital Platform before submitting bids for new procurements starting after 24th February.
• Registration includes confirming key company information, which can be updated and maintained by the supplier.
• This information will be available centrally, on the Central Digital Platform and will not need to be replicated when tendering.

For clarity, this will only apply to new frameworks and contracts tendered after this date. Call-offs/placements from existing frameworks will continue as normal.

Important Links:

• Suppliers: How to register your organisation and first administrator on Find a Tender in three easy steps (HTML) - GOV.UK

• Doing business with the council - supplying goods and services | Oxfordshire County Council(External link)

• The Procurement Act 2023 A short guide for suppliers(External link)
• Central digital platform factsheet(External link)
• TPP suppliers guide and knowledge drops LinkedIn(External link)

• Recent comms and marketing resources (1)(External link)

Cold health alert issued for the South East

The yellow cold health alert is in effect from 9AM on 07/02/2025 until 9AM on 11/02/2025 across the South East. The yellow alert has a matrix score of 7. This means:

You can see all the weather health alerts currently in place across England on the UKHSA data dashboard.

How to take action if you have a duty to respond

Please review the Weather Health Alert System user guidance to explain how you can use the information contained within the alerts to respond to the forecast weather.

We provide guidance on how to take action for a range of professional groups with a duty to respond, with action cards available for commissioners, health and social care providers, and the voluntary and community sector. Summary action cards are also available below:

· commissioners

· voluntary and community sector

· care homes and other residential settings

· services delivering care to people in their homes

· hospitals and other healthcare settings

For an overview of the weather alerts in place across England, please check the UKHSA data dashboard.

The Met Office may issue National Severe Weather Warnings (for example, snow and ice) with short notice, so you can take appropriate action. Check the Met Office Website to see the National Severe Weather Warnings currently in place.

You can also find information of the latest weather forecast on the Met Office website.

How to protect yourself if you are vulnerable

While exposure to cold weather can affect anyone, some people are particularly at risk. We have published guidance on staying safe during cold weather.

Planning for adverse weather

All organisations should read the Adverse Weather and Health Plan. This is important if you provide health and social care. The plan explains what you should do before and while a cold health alert is in place.

To support local planning, please check the guidance on local resilience forums

About cold health alerts

Chief executives of the following organisations in England receive cold health alerts:

· health trust providers of NHS commissioned care

· local authorities

· social care organisations

The Cold-Health Alert Service in England runs from 1 November to 31 March each year, in partnership with the Met Office. This is the period when low temperatures are likely to occur.

If we observe low temperatures outside of this period, we will issue an extraordinary cold health alert. If this happens, stakeholders should take the usual public health actions.

You can share this email with your organisation or sign up to receive alerts using our registration form. We have a separate form if you would like to update your registration details.

Please let us know if you have a question or have a problem with your subscription. You can also unsubscribe from this service.

UKHSA and the Met Office use the Risk Matrix to assign a risk score for each alert. Users can refer the alert’s risk score to the matrix to understand the severity of the alert and likelihood of its impact.

Updates to cold health alerts

UKHSA and the Met Office make daily risk assessments. We will issue a new alert should the alert level change.

Further Advice and guidance

Flood Alerts and Warnings

UKHSA Privacy Notice

PCH events:

Operating model toolkit communities of practice

Four new digitising and streamlining assessment groups supporting improved demand management, enhance workforce morale and delivery of more personalised care. Open to all, each community of practice focuses on a toolkit theme and associated tool cards:

• 13 January 2025 1-3pm Practitioners, workforce, providers and partners – creating an optimal workforce that can conduct efficient adult social care assessments. Tools explored will support you to manage the workforce, enabling joined up working and exploring areas of strength-based practice and resources to support this.
• 15 January 2025 10-12pm Technology, data, information and tools – embed digitisation and data into the way you undertake your adult social care assessments. This will include tools to support the automation of processes, data gathering and analysing and digitisation of assessment processes.
• 10 February 2025 2-4pm People who draw on care and support, and carers – explore the perspective of people and carers who interact with adult social care assessment process and how they find this process. We will explore tools and resources to support people accessing adult social care assessments and those who seek information on the assessment process.
• 13 February 2025 10-12pm Functional processes (including assessment pathways) – explore elements of the adult social care assessment pathway and the associated processes. We will explore tools and resources to support day-to-day tasks completed by your workforce to support people and carers through the assessment journey.

Adult social care information and advice: artificial intelligence (AI) opportunities (16 January 11-12pm)

Hear from councils introducing AI to support people accessing adult social care information online.

Digital skills community of practice

We are delivering a series of community of practice sessions throughout this quarter that will increase digital confidence and technology skills for occupational therapists, social workers, principal occupational therapists, and principal social workers.

Further online events will focus on navigating the requirements of consent with technology (18 February 2-3pm), and embracing technology and AI (6 March 1-2pm and 27 March 11-12pm).

ADASS events:

AI in adult social care webinars (27 January and 26 February)

Hosted by WM ADASS but open to all, these two online events will explore use of AI at the front door and for improving adult social care. Email info@wm-adass.org.uk to register.

PCH publication:

Implementing digital social care records

Our new briefing brings together learning from councils and integrated care systems across the country following this year’s rollout of digital social care records into adult social care registered provision. It spells out the benefits and challenges and provides practical guidance on how to overcome barriers, and support and incentivise good practice.

DHSC publication:

New reforms and independent commission to transform social care - GOV.UK announced last week included new high-level commitments to digital.

FREE VBA training and Vape workshops

We have a FREE Very Brief Advice session booked for 21st January, to support any non-clinical professionals who work on the frontline with clients, service users or any Oxfordshire residents. Due to high demand, we have added a further 10 spaces to the session. I have attached an updated poster - please could you share??

Very Brief Advice can help anyone to have a 30 second conversation, which could save a life. The training will cover background information on smoking and why it is still so important to help the 65,000 Oxon smokers to quit. The trainer will then cover how VBA works and spend time preparing attends on when and how to have the conversation, where to signpost to and how to make a referral or support an individual to do their own. The 2 hour session is online via Teams and tickets can be booked via Eventbrite.

We also have 3 Vape Workshops planned for 2025. These are run by The National Centre for Smoking Cessation Training (NCSCT). This workshop is designed to provide clinical and non-clinical professionals alike, with up-to-date evidence and practice guidance on vapes and vaping. The course follows the evidence and reflects the ever-developing technology of vapes, device selection and use, considerations for use of vapes by young people and pregnant women, clinical guidance on vaping as an aid to smoking cessation and harm reduction, plus answers to frequently asked questions and vaping myths. The one-hour online session is bookable via the link on the poster, directly with Tom at NCSCT.

Please share the attached posters with anyone who might benefit from this useful knowledge and skills. 24-0162 OCC Vaping poster 2025 dates.pdf

Promotion poster - generic VBA (2).pdf

With the ongoing cold period of weather I wondered if it would be possible to highlight the support that Better Housing Better Health can provide, especially with covering costs of additional heating. The service can issue emergency fuel vouchers of at least £50 if people are finding it costly to heat their homes during these colder temperatures. They can also provide other sources of advice and support for a longer term interventions to improve the warmth of the home.

More general advice can be found here on support in Oxfordshire and I attached the coms pack which has a list of other types of support available in the community, such as libraries as “warm spaces” where people can spend as much time as they need for warmth and company. Winter Warmth Toolkit November 2024 (2).pdf

Oxfordshire Association of Care Providers are hosting Oxfordshire Care Awards 2025 in Blenheim Palace 6 May 2025. To see previous years winners and/or submit your nominations visit Oxfordshire Care Awards Celebrating Excellence in Care

Parking Permits for NHS/Social Care and Help To Live At Home Providers may be about to expire soon. There is a new system in place to apply for them.

NHS/Social Care & Help to Live at home (HTLAH) permits

Our parking team have now launched a new online digital permit system that’ll enable you, as Service Lead, to apply for and manage vehicles belonging to those members of staff who go out in our communities. You’ll be able to manage vehicles at the touch of a button in the future. Furthermore, we will no longer issue paper NHS permits however existing permits will remain valid until the end of January 2025.

New parking permit process

The way we process NHS & HTLAH permits has changed. A Service Lead, or equivalent must click on the link ZatPermit - Application Portal and Create an Account. They will then need to Sign Up for access using your email address and creating a password before you can apply for permits. Select a business account using the address of the service before applying for virtual NHS parking permits.

• Please allow 10 working days’ for us to process your application.
• Click HERE for a guide to help you create an NHS business account that I hope you’ll find useful.
• As a reminder, click HERE for a copy of our Terms & Conditions of use. Please ensure existing and new staff are reminded of these.

If you need any assistance, you can contact our team of dedicated advisors Monday – Friday 9am – 4pm on 01865 815649 who will help you set up an account and answer any questions you may have. Alternatively email parking@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Data Enforcement Update

Please find attached DHSC-approved comms that have been shared with the Care Associations. Please feel free to include some of the information in your provider forums/bulletins/newsletters.

Providers at Risk of receiving NOIs by the NHSBSA (the DHSC delivery partners & enforcers)

There are providers (Care Home and/or Home Care) in your locality who did not submit an ASC update in the previous 2 windows (November & December 2024) and they are "at risk" of receiving an "Notice of Intent" and potential subject to a fixed penalty (normally to the value of their CQC registration fee) if they do not update in January 2025.

The next compliance window will open on Wednesday 8^th January and will close on Tuesday 14^th January 2025.

We kindly ask that you contact as many of the At Risk provider(s) in you locality as possible. If you are aware that a Provider is no longer active – please notify CQC or encourage providers to contact CQC directly to de-register - CQC National Customer Service: 03000 616161, enquiries@cqc.org.uk. Please can you also notify us if there are any providers that appear on CT, that are no longer active (as we are collating a list).

You can view the providers who are "At Risk" at any time via the 'Update monthly status ASC collection' report. This can be found by clicking the 'reports' option then 'update frequency' then 'Update monthly status ASC collection'.

You then need to click "Criteria" (top left-hand corner) and select the following criteria (screenshot below - note in the example below that 'Care Home' is highlighted green)

• Primary Field (Grouping) = Local Authority
• Geography = by clicking + and expanding the list and click your specific LA Region XXXXX
• Data Type = defaults to Numbers (leave the default – for the purpose of this query it does not affect the results)
• Registration Status = defaults to both New (< 101 days) AND Established (≥ 101 days), deselect (by clicking) New (< 101 days) which will leave Established (≥ 101 days) selected.
• Provider Type = defaults to Care Home (you will need to rerun this report for Home Care providers by selecting Home Care )
• Last Submission – Select October (this will ensure that only the providers that missed their submission in the previous two months)

The results of the report will be listed below. You will need to clip the + to expand (to show the list of providers) and scroll to the right to view the current month. The providers who have not submitted will be indicated with No.

Alternatively you can export a CSV file (top right-hand corner) with the results of the report and then filter the last two columns on the report (for example Nov 24 & Dec 24) to 'No' to identify the providers who did not submit in the previous two month.

An CSV will need to be generated for each category of providers - export to CSV using Care Home as the criteria for Provider Type AND then repeat the CSV export with Home Care as the criteria for Provider Type.

Previously, the compliance figures (per region) for the previous month, were included (for information) within the "At Risk" email notices. This data (and more) is available in the Monthly Highlight report which is available to all ICBs and LA. If you would like to receive a copy of your region's report (usual produced at the end of each month), please contact your Regional Delivery Manager or email the team via necsu.ctengagement@nhs.net.

Thank you all for your continued support & engagement.

If you have any questions concerning the above, require a reporting demo or want to know how other LAs/ICBs are approaching this – please get in at necsu.ctengagement@nhs.net

Section 277A of the Health and Care Act 2022 – enables the Secretary of State to require regulated providers of Adult Social Care to provide information relating to: • themselves • their activities in connection with provision of ASC in England • persons to whom they have provided such care. The Adult Social Care Information (Enforcement) Regulations 2022 came into force on 1st December 2022. It requires all ASC providers, regulated by the CQC, to update the mandated collection in the Capacity Tracker. The reporting windows are between the 8th & 14th day of each month - or next working day if the 14th is a weekend or public holiday. Frequently Asked Questions is accessible here. Provider training & awareness sessions are available here • These sessions are to help guide providers through the information requests, update methods and reports – they are informal events that offer providers the opportunity to raise any questions or seek clarification. Important Reminders

• Multiple CT Registered Users recommended – to ensure sufficient cover during periods of absence. To register for a CT account, simply click on:

https://capacitytracker.com/register

• Going Abroad - users are reminded that CT is not accessible outside the UK.

• Active providers with 0 service users or 0 staff – providers are required to submit a return, including a 'nil' return where services may not yet have commenced, ceased or are in the process of being updated with CQC.

• Active dual-registered providers that offer both home care and residential care – submissions are required for both services, including a 'nil' return if services are not being delivered. It is essential that providers ensure their CQC registration is up to date and that CQC are informed at the earliest opportunity if services are closed.

• For access and system guidance queries - please contact the Support Centre see details below.

• Change of staff - It is recommended that updating Capacity Tracker is included within providers staff leaver/new starter process with user accounts closed & new user registrations in place. This will ensure that you continue to receive important communications issued via Capacity Tracker and remain up to date with the information submissions.

• Any changes to provider regulated services/specialisms/bed capacity – Capacity Tracker uses CQC information. Until the CQC information is updated, it is essential the providers make CQC aware of any changes at the earliest opportunity and data submissions are maintained by completing a ‘nil return’, until the CQC information has been updated.

• Providers that are closing down/no longer active/changing registration or ownership - please notify CQC directly to de-register, see contact information below. It is essential data submissions are maintained by completing a ‘nil return’, until the CQC information has been updated.

• If you receive an enforcement notice from the DHSC partners, NHS BSA – it's important that providers who receive an enforcement notice to respond directly to the NHS BSA, see contact details below. We remain committed to supporting providers to be compliant with the ASC Information (Enforcement) Regulations 2022 and can ensure the appropriate support and guidance is in place.

Contact Information:

• For system support and guidance - please contact NECS Capacity Tracker Support Centre - 0191 691 3729 or necsu.capacitytracker@nhs.net

(We are open Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm, excluding public holidays)

• Changing registration, closing, change of ownership – please contact the CQC - T: 03000 616161, E: enquiries@cqc.org.uk, CQC Provider Portal

(They are open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5.30pm, excluding public holidays)

• If you receive an enforcement notice – please contact the NHS Business Services Authority Enforcement Team (NHSBSA) – T: 0300 330 2088,

E: enforcement@nhsbsa.nhs.uk (They are open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 4.30pm)

Cold health alert updated for the South East

The amber cold health alert is in effect from 12PM on 02/01/2025 until 12PM on 08/01/2025 across the South East. The amber alert has a matrix score of 12. This means:

You can see all the weather health alerts currently in place across England on the UKHSA data dashboard.

How to take action if you have a duty to respond

Please review the Weather Health Alert System user guidance to explain how you can use the information contained within the alerts to respond to the forecast weather.

We provide guidance on how to take action for a range of professional groups with a duty to respond, with action cards available for commissioners, health and social care providers, and the voluntary and community sector. Summary action cards are also available below:

· commissioners

· voluntary and community sector

· care homes and other residential settings

· services delivering care to people in their homes

· hospitals and other healthcare settings

For an overview of the weather alerts in place across England, please check the UKHSA data dashboard.

The Met Office may issue National Severe Weather Warnings (for example, snow and ice) with short notice, so you can take appropriate action. Check the Met Office Website to see the National Severe Weather Warnings currently in place.

You can also find information of the latest weather forecast on the Met Office website.

How to protect yourself if you are vulnerable

While exposure to cold weather can affect anyone, some people are particularly at risk. We have published guidance on staying safe during cold weather.

Planning for adverse weather

All organisations should read the Adverse Weather and Health Plan. This is important if you provide health and social care. The plan explains what you should do before and while a cold health alert is in place.

To support local planning, please check the guidance on local resilience forums

About cold health alerts

Chief executives of the following organisations in England receive cold health alerts:

· health trust providers of NHS commissioned care

· local authorities

· social care organisations

The Cold-Health Alert Service in England runs from 1 November to 31 March each year, in partnership with the Met Office. This is the period when low temperatures are likely to occur.

If we observe low temperatures outside of this period, we will issue an extraordinary cold health alert. If this happens, stakeholders should take the usual public health actions.

You can share this email with your organisation or sign up to receive alerts using our registration form. We have a separate form if you would like to update your registration details.

Please let us know if you have a question or have a problem with your subscription.

UKHSA and the Met Office use the Risk Matrix to assign a risk score for each alert. Users can refer the alert’s risk score to the matrix to understand the severity of the alert and likelihood of its impact.

Updates to cold health alerts

UKHSA and the Met Office make daily risk assessments. We will issue a new alert should the alert level change.

Further Advice and guidance

Flood Alerts and Warnings

UKHSA Privacy Notice

*******************************************************************************************

The information contained in the Email and any attachments is confidential and intended solely and for the attention and use of the named addressee(s). It may not be disclosed to any other person without the express authority of the UKHSA, or the intended recipient or both. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not disclose, copy, distribute or retain this message or any part of it. This footnote also confirms that this Email has been swept for computer viruses by Exchange Online Protection, but please re-sweep any attachments before opening or saving. UK Health Security Agency -(https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-health-security-agency)