WMCA Weekly Newsletter

WMCA News • December 1, 2022

West Midlands Care Association Members Newsletter- 1st December

Newsletter

1 December 2022

***WMCA Updates***

Members Feature!

FOCUS Birmingham's Charity Firewalk

In this weeks members feature, we put the 'focus' on FOCUS Birmingham once again with their fantastic charity firewalk!

The amazing charity are hosting this event on Thursday 8 December to raise money to continue their vital work in supporting people with sight loss and complex needs.

Read more about the event here

And if you would like to share a positive news story with the Association and our members, please contact jb@wmca.care

Community Based Falls Response

On Wednesday 23 November, WMCA attended our weekly Care Association Alliance (CAA) group meeting.

Within this meeting, Simon Chapman, Deputy Director, Strategy and Policy, Community Care, NHSE, delivered a presentation to the group on 'Going further on winter resilience'.

Simon outlined the Community-based falls response services & care homes ambulance conveyance avoidance:

This requires all ICBs to have full geographical coverage between the hours of 0800 and 2000, 7 days a week, of community-based alternatives to double crewed ambulance response for level one and two falls
Expected implementation date is 31st December 2022
There are two levels of response which applies to falls at home/care homes
Key objectives are to enhance outcomes and experience for those who fall and improve system efficiency
Expanding existing provision of the current falls response protocol is planned utilising the existing UCR services
Greater support for care homes will ensure easy access to local services through a single point of access for clinical support and ensure providers are aware of local services
There will be minimum requirements for all ICBs to reduce unplanned care homes ambulance conveyance

Full details can be found in the attached slides and Simon can be contacted at simon.chapman6@nhs.net

Community Based Falls Response

***Government Updates***

Autumn COVID-19 booster and flu campaign: a reminder to all carers to get vaccinated

Last week, the DHSC sent out communications to encourage all those eligible for the flu vaccine to get it booked in, as cases rise to levels not seen since before the pandemic.

There is a particular need for pre-schoolers, pregnant women and those in the care and health workforces to take up the offer.

The country-wide marketing campaign , urging millions of eligible people to get their flu and COVID-19 booster vaccines, continues to run across television, radio and social media.

You can watch the TV advert here .

To learn more, and promote the benefits of vaccination to care colleagues, visit the Campaign Resource Centre for:

Q&A leaflets
posters
social media content and stickers, all free to download and share

***End of government updates***

Cyber Awareness (Protect) FREE webinar

Black Country Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub will be joined by West Midlands Police Cyber Crime Unit for this webinar.

How to stay safe online, common scams and how it affects our lives, this webinar explains some of the threats you may face whilst online.

To book on the session on 12th December from 1pm-1:45pm or for further info, please visit https://cyberwellbeing.eventbrite.co.uk/

Care Workers Charity- £500 donation challenge

Care workers on average earn £9.50 an hour and many are worried about how they will cope with rising prices this winter and beyond.

The CWC have seen an 100% increase in online searches for care worker grants and a raise in demand for their support by over 55% month on month since August, and we fear the worst may yet be to come.

The CWC are the only UK-wide charity dedicated to supporting care workers, but they need your help. Will your organisation commit to supporting one care worker every year?

Show you care and join WMCA in signing up to the CWC 500 Challenge, pledging £500 a year which will support a care worker to put the heating on.

It’s quick and easy to sign up, just follow this link and fill out your details: thecareworkerscharity.org.uk/500-challenge-donation/

“The grant just really helped; it came at a point when I was about to leave the industry, but it made me think twice.” Lauren, a home care worker and single mum to three children