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Dear Colleague,
As the first bulletin since the local elections, can I take this opportunity to congratulate those who have won seats and those who have been appointed cabinet/executive member for adult social care, health and public health. It is a challenging but exciting time to be a councillor and the contribution you make to the health and wellbeing of local communities – irrespective of the colour of your rosette – is hugely valued.
For those colleagues who are new into their seat, I wanted to highlight that the LGA has a range of resources and events for councillors who have leadership roles in, and/or are interested in, the policy realm of health, public health and adult social care. In adult social care, one of the biggest developments in recent times is the return of regulation through the new system of assurance. This is a significant moment in the evolution of adult social care and we are extremely keen to ensure that elected members – whether that’s leaders, cabinet/executive members, chairs of health scrutiny, or ward councillors – are aware of developments and understand what they mean in the context of local democratic accountability. We are therefore running a webinar on this subject, including speakers from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Care Quality Commission. You can sign up to attend the webinar.
We will also be holding a free induction session for new Portfolio-holders with responsibility for Adult Social Care at the LGA on 27 June, with more information on these and other forthcoming events for local leaders outlined below.
Whether you’re new in post or an existing councillor, I wish you well at such a busy time.
Yours sincerely,
Cllr David Fothergill
Chairman, LGA Community Wellbeing Board
Stories
Adult social care assurance: the return of regulation and the role of elected members webinar
6 June 2023
This free webinar on adult social care assurance is aimed at members and will outline the very latest on the new system of adult social care assurance and its challenges and opportunities for local leaders.
Induction event for new lead members for adult social care, in person event, 18 Smith Square, London
27 June 2023
This free induction session held at Smith Square is aimed at new Portfolio-holders with responsibility for Adult Social Care. It will provide an introduction to current policy issues in care and health and opportunities for networking and discussion. To make a booking or for more information, please contact katerina.charalambous@local.gov.uk
How can local authorities know if their mental health services are working well?
The Centre for Mental Health has published It feels like being seen, a briefing based on research commissioned by the LGA and ADASS through the Care and Health Improvement Programme. It aims to support local councils and their partners in the NHS to know if the mental health services they fund are working from the perspectives of the people who use them. It has a series of statements which services could use to assess whether they are effectively collaborating to support people’s needs.
Leadership Essentials: Adult Social Care, in person event, Warwick Conferences, Coventry
12 – 13 October 2023
These free development event supports adult social care Lead Members with the key opportunities and challenges they face in care and health in a rapidly changing policy landscape. Part of our wider programme of support for members, the programmes are delivered by LGA staff supported by high profile guest speakers from local government and partner agencies, with the cost of attending fully subsidised. For more information and to make a booking please contact grace.collins@local.gov.uk
National Children and Adult Services Conference 2023
Wednesday 29 November – Friday 1 December 2023 | Bournemouth
Workshop bids and bookings for #NCASC23
The National Children and Adult Services Conference is a must-attend event for councillors, directors, senior officers, policy makers, service managers and those with responsibilities for children and adult services in the statutory, voluntary and private sectors. We are currently taking bids to run workshop sessions at the conference, with a deadline for submission is 16 June.
Join us at the conference from 29 November – 1 December 2023 in Bournemouth. Join us to hear about and respond to the very latest thinking on key policy and improvement agendas in social care, children’s services, education, health and related fields. Confirmed speakers so far include:
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Helen Hayes MP, Shadow Minister for Children and Early Years
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Liz Kendall MP, Shadow Minister for Social Care
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Amanda Pritchard, Chief Executive, NHS England
For more information about booking or submitting a workshop bid, please visit the NCAS Conference website
Ministerial announcement: achieving a smokefree 2030: cutting smoking and stopping kids vaping
On 11 April, Minister for Primary Care and Public Health Neil O’Brien announced a range of new government plans to cut smoking rates and tackle underage vaping. This included a new national ‘swap to stop’ scheme to offer a million smokers across England a free vaping starter kit.
Major Conditions Strategy call for evidence launched
On 17 May, the Government issued a Call for Evidence for its Major Conditions Strategy. They are seeking views and ideas on how to prevent, diagnose, treat and manage the six major groups of health conditions that most affect the population in England: Open consultation: Major conditions strategy: call for evidence. The deadline for submitting evidence is 27 June.
The LGA will be submitting its own evidence and we are keen to include the concerns and views of our member authorities. We also encourage local authorities to submit their own evidence. Please contact alyson.morley@local.gov.uk for more information.
The outcomes from the previous Mental Health and Cancer calls for evidence have also been published:
Digital working in adult social care
The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) has released a new guidance framework which sets out what good digital working looks like for care providers and councils with responsibility for adult social care in England. The framework has been developed in collaboration with Partners in Care and Health and other stakeholders through a series of workshops and interviews with providers, councils and national membership organisations. The guidance encourages safe practice of technology in care settings so the right technology can be used to benefit local people. It is an aspirational framework designed to be used by councils and care providers of all sizes and types of service, including both Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered and non-registered providers.
Tracking the impact of winter pressures in Great Britain: November 2022 to February 2023
This Office for National Statistics (ONS) insights publication provides information from a winter survey which tracked participants to examine how increases in the cost of living and difficulty accessing NHS services impacted people's lives during the winter months in Great Britain.
Adult social care in England, monthly statistics: April 2023
These Department of Health and Social Care (DOHSC) adult social care statistics provide information on a range of topics including infection control measures, COVID-19 vaccinations and testing for COVID-19 in adult social care settings.
Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: 5 to 16 April 2023
This ONS publication provides social insights on daily life and events in Great Britain between 5 and 16 April 2023. It includes information on the cost of living, industrial action, and energy savings in the home, from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN).
Adverse Weather and Health Plan (AWHP)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have launched the new Adverse Weather and Health Plan as part of a commitment under the climate change National Adaption Programme to bring together and improve existing guidance on weather and health.
Gambling White Paper
On 27 April, the Government published a White Paper titled ‘High Stakes: Gambling in the Digital Age.’ It outlines how people at risk of gambling-related harm will be better protected under government plans to update betting rules for the digital age.
Local action towards a smoke-free future
LGA
Council social care support for people with lifelong disabilities
LGA
Public health annual report 2023: Supporting communities in difficult times
LGA
Exploring adult social care funding and delayed discharge
LGA and NHS Confederation
Carers’ assessments: developments, digital, diversity, co-production and good practice
Carers UK
Integrated care strategies: a snapshop in progress
LGA and NHS Confederation
Workshop slides from the South East Public Health Conference 2023
South East Public Health Conference
Understanding unpaid carers and their access to support
The Health Foundation
Events
Adult social care assurance: the return of regulation and the role of elected members webinar
6 June 2023
Induction event for new lead members for adult social care, in person event
18 Smith Square, London
27 June 2023
Opening up opportunities for young adult carers
Thursday 22 June, 1.00-4.00pm | Webinar
LGA Annual Conference and Exhibition 2023 (4-6 July)
4 July 2023 - 6 July 2023 | Bournemouth
Whole-family approach to supporting young carers
13 July, 10.00am-1.00pm | Webinar
Leadership Essentials: adult social care
12 – 13 October 2023 | Warwick Conferences, Coventry
National Children and Adult Services Conference and Exhibition 2023
29 November 2023 - 1 December 2023 | Bournemouth
Media
Keep vapes out of sight of children – LGA on ASH survey on e-cigarette use among 11 to 17 year olds
17 May 2023
LGA political balance confirmed
The Local Government Association is a cross-party organisation with Labour now being the largest Group.
12 May 2023
Social care continues to face significant pressure – LGA on ADASS roadmap for reforming care and support
25 April 2023
Parliamentary
Local authority administered COVID Grant Schemes
On 16 May, the Public Accounts Committee, chaired by Dame Meg Hiller (Lab, Hackney South and Shoreditch), heard from officials at the Department of Business and Trade and the Treasury as part of their inquiry into Local authority administered COVID grant schemes. The committee discussed concerns over the level of fraud through the schemes and questioned officials on the recovery of funds. They highlighted that the Government lacked oversight of the COVID grant schemes, both in a failure to perform preliminary checks and follow up checks concerning the allocation of funds. The LGA submitted evidence to the committee highlighting key issues faced by councils, including delays in guidance publication, complexity of schemes, administrative burden, lack of information on certain businesses, and publication of misleading 'league tables'.
Accommodation for asylum seekers
The Lords debated Houses in Multiple Occupation (Asylum-Seeker Accommodation) (England) Regulations 2023 on 16 May. We briefed peers ahead of the debate on the regulations, which will temporarily exempt Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) accommodation for asylum seekers from all HMO regulations for two years, to outline councils concerns with the proposal. The LGA was mentioned throughout the debate and Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Labour) said that the removal of current protections is potentially dangerous and divisive, and risks stacking up long-term problems for asylum seekers, particularly their mental and physical health, their safety in the properties and their recourse where conditions do not meet acceptable standards. Baroness Taylor highlighted that Government has had limited engagement with local government on the proposals and said that the LGA should have been engaged from the start of the process.
first magazine
first is the LGA's membership magazine, distributed to around 18,000 councillors and local authority chief executives in England and Wales.
In this issue: A new care model
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