Running Your Care Business

Introduction

At HCPA, as well as supporting you with the care elements of your business, we are also here to support you with the operational, financial and safety elements of your organisation. Either through a trusted third party or on a one-to-one basis, we can help you with legal, funding, health and safety and employment law as well as many other areas of your business

Tender Opportunities

New Tender Opportunities listing

HCPA are aware that there are new tendering opportunities becoming available for various client groups within the adult social care sector from HCC.

To support our members we thought it would be a good idea to put a list of all of the open tenders that we are aware of on our Members Zone with a link to the relevant web portal so that you can apply.

We are also aware of other local authorities in neighbouring areas advertising opportunities that may be of interest so will post these as well on the web page with application details.

These are tenders that HCPA are aware of that may be of interest to members. It is advisable to register with the portals and set up alerts for relevant service areas. www.gov.uk/contracts-finder also offers access to a wide range of public service tenders as they become available.

Please note that we will do our best to ensure that we list all available tenders, however some may slip past us, so please continue to look out for opportunities yourselves. Email any tender opportunities to jackietaylor@hcpa.co.uk

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ADS / OP residential nursing contracts

If you are a HCPA member with a HCC DS/OP Residential/Nursing Spot Contract then please click here to view the sample contract.

The ADASS Eastern Region Residential and Nursing Contract has been updated and you are required to sign the new contract variation. As part of this due diligence you need to provide updated policies, procedures, insurance and other relevant documents.

If you have not received the original email or have any queries regarding this process please contact your commissioner as appropriate:

For Older People Residential and Nursing Homes – Iact.support@hertfordshire.gov.uk
For Disabled Adult Residential and Nursing Homes – ads.residential@hertfordshire.gov.uk

A webinar will be announced for December 2023.

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Opportunity in Enfield – LD Services

Enfield Council established a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) in 2018 for the provision of care and support services for adults with learning disabilities aged 18 and over, and this DPS has been extended for a further 25 months starting from 09 October 2023 until 08 November 2025.

• Lot 1a – Moderate to severe learning disabilities – Care; Support
• Lot 1b – Moderate to severe learning disabilities – Care; Support with Accommodation
• Lot 2a – Profound and multiple learning disabilities and /or complex health needs – Care; Support
• Lot 2b – Profound and multiple learning disabilities and /or complex health needs – Care ; Support with Accommodation
• Lot 3a – Learning disabilities and behaviour that challenges and/or mental health issues – Care ; Support
• Lot 3b – Learning disabilities and behaviour that challenges and/or mental health issues – Care ; Support with Accommodation

To apply and for more information click here

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Tender Opportunity for Buckinghamshire Supported Living Sites

Buckinghamshire Council is seeking a Provider/s to provide Care and Support under 2 block contract arrangement within 13 supported living services, 7 locations supporting people with a learning disability/autism and 6 locations supporting people with mental health conditions. The services vary in size and support a total of 124 service use

Value £23,964,500
Date notice published: 19 September 2023
Closing date: 24 October 2023, 12pm

To find out more or apply you will need to log in or register via the link here

Direct Payments and Individual Service Fund Strategy

People that are eligible for social care in Hertfordshire will have information and advice on the options available to receive their personal budget, including direct payments and individual service funds.

Direct Payments and the Individual Fund Strategy sets out the ambition for people who wish to be in control of the support they are eligible to receive from Adult Care Services (ACS) and the people, professionals that arrange, deliver or have a supporting role in this.

What is a Direct Payment?

A direct payment is money that is paid to a person (or someone acting on their behalf), so they can arrange their own care and support instead of Hertfordshire County Council. A direct payment is one way to receive a
personal budget, which is a budget allocated to a person by Hertfordshire County Council to pay for support to meet assessed, eligible needs and outcomes.

What is an Individual Service Fund Strategy? 

An individual service fund is where a care provider, chosen by the person, manages the budget on their behalf.

» Click here for more information about Direct Payments and Individual Service Fund Strategy 
» Click here for more information from Skills for Care about individual employer funding

Care and Support Jargon Buster

There is a lot of jargon in social care and TLAP is committed to busting it. Think Local Act Personal (TLAP)’s Care and Support Jargon Buster is an A-Z directory of Plain English definitions of the most commonly used words and phrases in health, social care and housing. Winner of the Plain English Campaign Award 2013, it has remained, year on year, their most popular product.

» View the Jargon Buster here

HCC have also put together an acronyms/jargon buster which can be found here.

Recruitment Guidance

HCPA’s Best Practice Guide to Recruiting, Onboarding and Retaining Your Staff

This guidance has been designed to help you analyse your own processes to have more recruiting success. This is an interactive PDF so you can pinpoint what areas you wish to focus on. If you wish to utilise HCPA’s recruitment service visit the Herts Good Care Recruitment page www.hertsgoodcare.com/recruit/

» Download the guide here

Nursing Associates

Nursing associates are a relatively new member of the nursing family, responsible for providing care to those in health and social care settings. The role has been created to bridge the skills gap between care assistants and registered nurses, and allow registered nurses to focus on leading and evaluating, rather than providing and monitoring.

Whilst not a substitute for a registered nurse, nursing associates are registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and having completed an approved training course, they can alleviate some of the pressure on registered nurses by sharing some of their responsibilities.

For more information please use the links below:

» Skills for Care Guide
» Nursing Associate Role – How can it help your business? Flyer

DBS for website

DBS relies on information received from referring organisations and third parties. Without this, the DBS may not have sufficient evidence to make a barring decision. When a barring referral is received without all the information needed to progress the case, the DBS have to write to the referring party to request the relevant documents. This process can take a long time and has a big impact on the turnaround times for making a barring decision – potentially putting vulnerable people at risk.

If you’re making a barring referral, please make sure you’re familiar with the DBS form and guidance, which contain all the documentation that you’re legally required to provide.

Business Savings & Investments

Agency Charter of Excellence (ACE)

The Agency Charter of Excellence Mark is a service for all staff recruitment agencies who offer care staff to Adult care providers in Hertfordshire.

» Find out more

Care Supplies & Equipment

Care Home Suppliers with a Focus on You!

We have partnered up with the largest care home suppliers in the UK. With these strong partnerships in place for HCPA members, we can offer a comprehensive range of products for care homes, nursing homes, day services and other care facilities. With a prime focus on quality, through our partners, we can ensure that you receive products that are unrivalled in functionality and ease-of-use.

Supplying Top Quality Care Home Products

We know the relevance of the products that our partners supply, and the requirements of our members. Our supply partners serve Bedfordshire, Milton Keynes, Northamptonshire, Hertfordshire, London, and their carrier networks cover the whole of UK.

Our partners are trusted by numerous clients and customers thanks to the dedication with which they work. They employ rigorous and stringent quality tests as well while following the best practices. They ensure that quality is not compromised upon.

From Incontinence Products to Day Service Supplies

Ranges include Nursing Equipment, Disposable PPE, Cleaning Supplies, Medical Supplies and Incontinence products. They also offer Hoist Servicing, LOLER testing and all spare parts for hoists. Getting in touch with us at HCPA to signpost you to the right place guarantees you a streamlined ordering and delivery process to ensure your requirements.

Hertfordshire Wheelchair Services – Change of provider

From 1st October any registered service user of the Hertfordshire Wheelchair Service (provided by Millbrook Healthcare) will transfer to AIM Healthcare Ltd. Please ensure you share this information with staff members and the people that you support.

» Click here for the Hertfordshire Wheelchair Service transfer letter
» Click here for the Hertfordshire Wheelchair Service update information sheet
» Click here for the Hertfordshire Wheelchair Service referral form

 

» If you’re looking to purchase care equipment click here

 

Executive Coaching

Leadership Support: Executive Coaching

Support for Leaders in the care sector – Available through HCPA’s Executive Coaching service

Good Leaders are essential to the success of an organisation, and whether you are a manager who is performing fantastically and just need some extra support, or you need help tackling a new challenge, developing certain skills, or improving performance, HCPA’s Executive Coaching can offer you a range of benefits:

• Regular, supportive supervision for managers in roles where they are often unsupervised
• Breaking from daily tasks to spend time reflecting on recent outcomes and future plans
• Help to develop new skills and competencies, as well as identifying areas for improvement
• Encouragement and guidance for managers to handle new responsibilities within their role
• Helping talented managers to continue to grow and take the next step

 

What is involved in Executive Coaching?

HCPA offer Executive Coaching in the form of regular face-to-face sessions over an agreed short-term period to help you reach your chosen goals.The sessions are designed to improve workplace performance by focusing on the specific goals set, and the competencies and skills required to achieve them.

 

HR and Health and Safety

We’ve partnered with HR and Health & Safety experts to assist our members with queries or issues including, but not limited to:

• Policies and procedures
• Employment law and tribunal assistance
• HR mentoring and legal representation
• Employee benefits

Our HR and Employment Law experts have been providing professional services to small businesses across the UK since 1983. They started small just like HCPA, just a few people in a room. So, although they’ve grown over the years, their values remain the same. They know what small businesses need because they are still a small business at heart. Their first specialism was employment law. For a small business to navigate that maze is next to impossible without the right help. But the cost of having an HR professional on staff is too high for most small businesses, and traditional lawyers often don’t understand small business needs.

That’s where our partners come in. With them on our side, it’s like having our own HR team at a fraction of the cost. The services also go beyond employment and HR to cover health and safety management, insurance, employee wellbeing, and much more besides. Whatever they do, the service is always provided by a handpicked team of experts, so you can be sure you’re getting the best. All of which means more peace of mind for you, and more time for you to concentrate on what you do best: growing and improving your care business!

If you need help with HR and Health & Safety topics please get in touch with us. Or find out more here.

Guidance at your fingertips

HSE health and safety app

HSE have recently released a mobile app, designed to help organisations understand the law, their health and safety rights, and their responsibilities.

HSE’s mission is to prevent death, injury and ill-health in Great Britain’s workplaces. Ensuring that guidance is available and accessible in a variety of formats is central to achieving this objective.

» Find out more about the app

The app is now available as a public beta and can be purchased via download from the Apple iOS store and the Google Play Store.

Insurance

Our preferred insurance partner, Towergate, is the most popular and established provider of insurance for Care organisations in the UK.

» Find out more

Preparing for Renewal

In 2020, many Care Providers saw an increase in insurance costs, as well as potential restrictions and changes to their insurance cover. Additionally, the number of insurers to approach for quotes became fewer, with many no longer providing certain covers for new customers. These challenges are continuing in 2021, as we see further restrictions and changes being imposed.

Our partner supplier, Towergate recommends that you start looking for alternatives three months in advance of a known renewal to discuss options and market movements, as these continue to change on a regular basis.

To find out how our partner, Towergate, could assist you, please email services@hcpa.co.uk

Legal Expertise

Ridouts is a team of specialist health and social care lawyers, providing dedicated legal advice for care professionals, care homes, GP practices, children’s homes, domiciliary and home care agencies, supported and independent living services and both private and NHS hospitals.

Ridouts is unique in their approach as they only advise health and social care professionals and other bodies that advise the sector, such as other law firms looking for expertise. This specialism means that, not only, do they know the law that governs the sector, but they also know the nuances that can occur. There is no textbook way of operating a care business and with Ridouts support not only gives you a team that knows the regulations, but also how to interpret them in the context of multi-faceted pressures, conflicting stakeholder input, and quite simply, what the day job looks like to you.

» Click here to find out more

 

 

Understanding the cap on care costs 

On 7 September 2021, the Government set out its new plan for adult social care reform in England which included a cap on the amount an individual will spend on care in their lifetime. The policy has been hotly debated and has seen wide press coverage.

What is the cap?

It is proposed that from October 2023 there will be an £86,000 cap on the amount anyone in England will have to spend on their personal care over their lifetime and the cap will apply irrespective of a person’s age or income. The first step will involve a needs assessment. Once a person has been assessed as having eligible needs, contributions towards the cost of meeting their eligible needs will be clocked until they reach £86,000, and after that point the local authority will meet the full costs of that individual’s eligible needs.

» Click here to read more on this story

Quality Audits & Mock Inspections

It’s always important to know how your organisation is performing, but waiting for a regulation inspection might bring a few surprises. We can offer quality audits and mock inspections to help you stay one step ahead, and tackle any areas for improvement before an inspection, so you can feel confident and prepared.

We can provide a full quality audit for your organisation using CQC methodology and, unlike the general CQC report, we can provide feedback under each Key Line of Enquiry (KLOE) so it’s easy for you to identify any non-compliance issues.

We’ll conduct a one day visit for care homes with less than 50 beds, or a two day visit for care homes with more than 50 beds, before providing you with a full written report within 7 days of our visit.

To book a quality audit or mock inspection please call us on 01707 536 020 or e-mail services@hcpa.co.uk 

UK Settlement Status and Recruiting from Overseas

The following webpage contains important information for all businesses and citizens of the UK. Make sure you are ready by using the GOV.UK tool.

» Find out more

Changes to immigration rules: Making it easier to recruit Care staff from overseas

New roles have recently been added to the ‘Shortage Occupation List’

Senior care workers and nursing assistants are among roles that have been added to the Shortage Occupation List, which gives people in these roles an advantage in obtaining a skilled worker visa. Health service managers and directors, residential, day and domiciliary care managers and health professionals not elsewhere classified have also been added to the Shortage Occupation List.

As part of the points-based immigration system, people applying to come to the UK through the skilled worker route must reach 70 ‘points’ to be eligible for a work visa. A job on the Shortage Occupation List is worth 20 points. Combined with the mandatory criteria – having an acceptable standard of English, an offer from a licensed sponsor and the required skill level, which are worth 50 points – will ensure people in these roles reach the 70 points necessary.

Two points to remember:

• Check if you or your staff are eligible to apply for the Health and Care Worker visa instead. It’s cheaper to apply for and you or your staff would not need to pay the annual immigration health surcharge
• Also, any EEA citizen who has arrived in the UK before 31^st December 2020, no matter what job role, or not even employed, can apply to receive a pre-settled status (granting them permission to live and work for 5 years in the UK) or full settled status (if they have 5 years in the UK/when they reach 5 years, they could get this which is permanent residency)

For more information on this, please check our full EU guide at www.hcpa.info/eu-transition. You can also call our dedicated HCPA support line on 01707 707686, or email us at euhelpline@hcpa.co.uk

Reference material:

» GOV.UK: Skilled Worker caseworker guidance [PDF]
» GOV.UK: Immigration rules
» GOV.UK: Skilled worker visa
» GOV.UK: Skilled worker visa: eligible occupations

Staff Wellbeing

 

Our Staff Wellbeing page (SWELL) is a resources page for you to gain ideas to support your staff to feel happy, healthy and more comfortable in their roles.

 

 

We are also offering you the chance to gain a Staff Wellbeing (SWELL) Charter Mark, highlighting your commitment to a proactive and resilient workplace to prospective clients and staff.

Achieve this by showing us evidence that you have:

• Assigned a Staff Wellbeing Guardian in your workforce
• Demonstrated what you have been doing and identify what you are planning to put in place for the future to ensure continued support for your staff

» Click here to view our SWELL page

Useful Links

Herts Good Care Recruitment Service	Click here
HCPA Services (available to all HCPA members)	Click here
Care Equipment information and ordering	Click here
Herts Fire and Rescue Service	Click here