This week all care homes should have directly received details of Devon County Council’s proposed fee model and 2025 uplift for participation in the engagement process on these important issues.

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Provider Engagement Launch and Upcoming Care Home Forum: Older Persons’ (65+) Care Homes Fee Model and 2025 Fees Uplift 

Devon County Council initiated a period of provider engagement on Monday 10th February 2025 regarding the new proposed fee model for Older Persons’ (65+) care home placements and the 2025 fees uplift. This engagement period will run for a period of six weeks, closing at midnight on Sunday 23rd March 2025. 

The proposed changes include a new fee model for all new and reviewed placements for clients over 65 and an annual uplift effective from 7th April 2025.  

For all the details including the link to the feedback form, please visit the Home - Provider Engagement Network.  For all other questions or queries please email socialcarebusinessrelationsmailbox@devon.gov.uk with the subject line: Care Home OP Fee Model and Fees Uplift Engagement 2025/26.  

Please note that there will be a Care Home Forum on Tuesday, 4th March, from 2:00-3:30pm to discuss the Older Persons’ (65+) Fee Model and 2025 Fees Uplift, offering another opportunity for providers to give their feedback on the launch pack.  Our Care Home Forums are open to ALL Care Home providers across the Devon County Council (DCC) footprint, who are signed up to a DCC contract. Link to register for the Care Home Forum 

Care Quality Commission Inspection of Devon County Council

On Monday Devon County received notification that the local authority will be the subject of a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection of the delivery of its adult social care duties as set out in Part 1 of the Care Act 2014.

This inspection is part of a new national inspection programme introduced through the Health and Care Act 2022 that has given new powers to the CQC to inspect adult social care, similar to the Ofsted inspection regime of Children's Services.

Local authorities will be inspected across the four themes below, and will receive a single word judgement as an outcome of the inspection:

• Working with people
• Providing support
• How the local authority ensures safety within the system
•  Leadership

Some care providers will have been involved in our preparations for CQC inspection to date, including through the LGA Peer Challenge in July 2023.

Next steps

The process from today is that we have a three-week period to submit an Information Return to the CQC. Once this has been completed, we will then receive a further notification of when the CQC plans to visit Devon.

It could be up to six months from receiving today’s notification before the CQC are with us.

When inspectors are with us they will prescribe a programme of activity that will likely involve meeting with our partners and independent care providers, including those we commission, and those who deliver services and duties on our behalf.

I will continue to provide updates as we progress through the inspection process including any request for your contribution.

All of our CQC inspection related documentation will be published on our dedicated webpages

Thank you for your on-going support and engagement

Torbay and South Devon NHS Latest Online Training Sessions.

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust are offering the following online courses:

• Continence Pad Use: 21st February 2-3pm and 17th March 2-3pm.
• Oral Care: 3rd March 1-2pm.
• Dementia Care: 3rd March 2-3pm.
• Pressure Ulcer Prevention: 14h March 1:30-3:pm
• Continence Care: 14th March 1-2pm
• Bowel Care 
• Hydration Nutrition & Assisted Feeding.

A poster with QR codes for further information can found and downloaded below.

Pop up Poster March 2025

The latest set of Restore 2 in-person and online training dates have also been announced:

R2 full advertisement 2025

Remember to share your good news stories in this newsletter

Has your support helped transform someone’s life? Have you got innovative practice to share? Send us your celebratory photos and words and we will help share good practice.

Revisit previous good news stories

Issue 209 13 February 2025

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DCC COVID-19 updates

Coronavirus advice to the public

National COVID-19 guidance updates

The GOV.UK website

The NHS.UK website

National vaccination publication collection

The national government page contains vaccination guidance, training resources, consent forms, letters, leaflets, posters and more.

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Keep up to date with the latest news and guidance that may impact on your service and clients via the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

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Capacity Tracker Mandatory Submission Reminder

Please note that the data submission Mandatory window is currently open, so please ensure you complete your Capacity Tracker entry by 23:59 on Friday 14^th February 2025

Please remember there is a statutory obligation which requires all registered providers to submit data via the Capacity Tracker between the 8th and 14^th day of every month. Providers risk being issued with a Notice of Intent if they do not update mandatory data 3 months consecutively or 4 times within a 12-month rolling period

Money Helper - Advice on Finance Support

This national government website includes guidance on benefits, pensions, savings and applying for universal credit.

www.moneyhelper.org.uk