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Welcome to the merged National Advisory Group (NAG) and SOPO (Society of Procurement Officers in Local Government) e-bulletin. Feel free to forward this email to your colleagues and / or suggest they sign up to receive it themselves. This e-bulletin is delivered through our corporate service which handles all of our e-bulletins and through which you can create or manage your subscriptions and read previous editions of this e-bulletin
Free personal protective equipment for frontline staff extended
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced that the offer of free personal protective equipment (PPE) to frontline health and social care staff in England has been extended for another year. The move means adult social care providers, primary care and NHS trusts will continue to receive COVID-19 PPE free of charge until 31 March 2023, or until infection prevention and control guidance is withdrawn or significantly amended. DHSC also said it is developing an improved platform for PPE procurement which will be quicker and easier to use, to be rolled out from April.
Personal protective equipment at work regulations are changing
Employers’ responsibilities to workers regarding the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) are changing from 6 April 2022.
The Personal Protective Equipment at Work (Amendment) Regulations 2022 (PPER 2022) extend employers’ and employees’ duties in respect of PPE to a wider group of workers to include “limb (b) workers” (workers who generally have a more casual employment relationship and work under a contract for service).
The Health and Safety Executive has prepared interim guidance explaining the changes and to help employers identify whether they and may be impacted and what they need to do to prepare.
Councils are encouraged to share this new information as appropriate.
COVID-19: Adult Social Care Omicron Support Fund
Government guidance has been published on the Adult Social Care Omicron Support Fund, including distribution of funds, reporting requirements and guidance on how councils can use the funding. This follows announcement of £60 million further funding for January in response to the increased pressure on existing funding sources caused by Omicron.
Tuesday 1 and Thursday 3 February 2022
The LGA Procurement Team’s flagship annual event will once again be held virtually, with the conference held over two days and will focus on both current and emerging challenges:
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Day 1 will include sessions on procurement rules reform, modern slavery in construction, progress of the Building Safety Bill and its implications, as well as the issues facing an industry recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Day 2 will focus on how climate change is having an impact on the construction industry. There will be sessions looking at how the industry is coming together to tackle issues such as the reduction of carbon emissions and how as clients of the industry, councils can make decisions to change behaviours and thereby help meet net zero national and local targets. Booking details can be found in our webinar section.
Please pass this on to your non-procurement colleagues working in construction-based roles - booking details can be found in our webinar section.
Procurement guidance to support building safety
Councils are being encouraged to share new guidance from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to support the construction industry in adopting and implementing procurement practices to deliver safe, high-quality buildings. Procurement professionals are being asked to apply the principles of this guidance in their work, which could significantly help to improve the safety and quality of buildings.
Developers forced to meet cladding costs
Developers have been told they must pay to fix the cladding crisis. The Housing Secretary has given developers a deadline of early March to agree a fully funded plan of action, including the £4 billion cost of remediating unsafe cladding on buildings 11 to 18 metres tall. He also set out how the Government plans to protect leaseholders trapped in unsellable homes facing huge bills to fix dangerous cladding. In our media response we said ensuring developers meet their responsibilities to leaseholders was a positive step in the right direction. However, we emphasised that the construction industry must also be made to fix the fire safety defects it has built into blocks owned by councils and housing associations. Councils will undoubtedly want to ensure that the owners of buildings between 11 to 18 metres high with dangerous cladding make rapid progress in remediating the buildings. If you would like support and advice please do not hesitate to get in touch, especially as the LGA continues to support the Joint Inspection Team which advises councils on enforcement under the Housing Act.
Staffing at UK care homes 30 per cent less than needed
Care homes are missing a third of the staff they need and more than one in four have closed their doors to new admissions, it has been reported. Reports suggest there are thousands of care workers off sick with COVID on top of a rising number of vacancies. Omicron absences are running at 14 per cent on top of an 18 per cent vacancy rate – a sharp increase on estimates before the pandemic – as care workers quit jobs, often for better paying roles in retail or warehouses.
Update on the Health and Care Bill - Provider Selection Regime
The date planned to establish Integrated Care Boards has been moved from 1 April 2022 to 1 July 2022. Both the establishment of statutory Integrated Care Systems and the Provider Selection Regime is subject to the passage of the Health and Care Bill. As such, the Provider Selection Regime will now not come into force any earlier than July 2022. This decision has not been taken lightly and is now necessary in reflection of the scheduling of the Bill’s passage through Parliament.
We will update when the plans for a reprogrammed timeline to the development, delivery and implementation of the Provider Selection Regime have been finalised.
Public-Private Partnerships: Driving Growth, Building Resilience
Robust and well-coordinated public/private partnerships present opportunities to bring together resources, expertise, and powers available in ways that cannot be achieved by either sector in isolation. Guided by expertise from Local Partnerships and developed by experts from Partnering Regeneration Development and Newbridge Advisors, we have published a good practice guide and case studies on how councils are working with the private sector to deliver investment in energy, housing and town centre development. The guide sets out seven key steps of governance and control that should be put in place to manage and mitigate risk throughout the partnership.
LGA Conference June 2022 - 'Spotlight On' Sessions Innovation Zone Sessions
‘Spotlight on…’ will be a key event in this year’s Innovation Zone at our annual conference, being held, in person, in Harrogate in June. Similar to TED talks, these talks are curated sessions that focus on big ideas or issues that challenge audience members to think differently and in greater depth about what is being discussed.
These sessions will follow the standard IZ format, running 30-40 mins and should focus on a specific innovative project or solution.
The LGA Procurement Team is keen to promote a council with a suitable innovative project or scheme with a procurement or commissioning focus that you’re willing to share. Interested parties should apply via the application page by 4 March 2022.
Wednesday 26 January 2022, 2–3.15pm | Online
This free introductory webinar will tell you more about the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services' (ADASS) and LGA's 'Supporting adults with learning disabilities to have better lives' framework. The session is designed for council staff working with people with a learning disability, Directors of Adult Social Services (DASS), health staff, and others with an interest in services for people with a learning disability. The aim of the framework is to help DASS work with colleagues and partners to identify how they can improve support to adults with a learning disability and ensure that the care and support in their area is delivering positive outcomes and is good value for money.
LGA National Construction Conference
Tuesday 1 and Thursday 3 February 2022, 10.30am–12.30pm | Online
Our National Construction Conference will again be a virtual conference and will be held across two mornings at the start of February:
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Day 1 will include sessions on modern slavery in construction, progress of the Building Safety Bill and its implications, as well as the issues facing an industry recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Day 2 will focus on how climate change is having an impact on the construction industry. There will be sessions looking at how the industry is coming together to tackle issues such as the reduction of carbon emissions and how as clients of the industry, councils can make decisions to change behaviours and thereby help meet net zero national and local targets.
The LGA Procurement team manages several LGA webpages dedicated to your needs. Please email guy.head@local.gov.uk if you would like any information added to our webpages:
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