Our strength is your involvement | | |
Hello...
Welcome to your weekly social care news curated by OACP
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This week:
- OACP
- The Oxfordshire Care Awards 2026 - now shortlisting
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Local
- LGR | Oxfordshire awaits Government decision
- Flourish can help you understand LDSS funding
- and more
- Trusted Assessor Service
- 972 assessments made 1 April 2025 - 31 March 2026
- Digital
- AI conference and Ask Aya
- International Recruitment
- Newseltter no. 44
- National
- NHS Supply Line - a useful contingency
- Finding the cheapest petrol locally
- Are you at risk of a NOI by not reporting on Capacity Tracker?
- No. of people requiring new care assessments rises in last 12 months
- Skills England survey on skills passports
- and more
- Legal briefings
- Richmond Chambers | Sponsor duties tightened - Skilled Worker rules rewritten
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OACP Member Area update
Latest updates...
In the NHS section
- DHCT and insurance briefing
- DHCT Tiers and Tasks matrix
In the Data section
Local wages summary
- Feb 2026 analysis with 12 month tracker
- Sponsored workforce full analysis
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The Oxfordshire Care Awards 2026
Thank you for the hundreds of fabulous nominations. It's been very moving to read your individual testimonies and the pride in which people and care recipients have nominated colleagues.
We are aiming to announce the shortlist w/c 20 April.
All enquiries to awards@oacp.org.uk.
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MHCLG | Local government reorganisation
The consultation on reorganisation of Oxfordshire has now closed. Ministers will choose between the three Oxfordshire models:
- One Oxfordshire (a single unitary)
- Two unitaries (Oxford & Shires + Ridgeway)
- Three unitaries (Greater Oxford, Northern Oxfordshire, Ridgeway)
If reorganisation is approved, shadow authorities would be elected in May 2027 with all new unitary councils across England, including in Oxfordshire expected to begin operating in April 2028. There is concern that ministers will follow the same path for Oxfordshire as they have for Essex, where five unitaries are to be created. Essex County Council has opposed the five‑unitary model with a preference for a three‑council structure. Their appeal has gone to Judicial Review. Surrey is also likely to split into multiple unitaries.
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Flourish | Are you making the most of LDSS funding?
Government has confirmed that Learning and Development Support Scheme (LDSS) funding will continue into 2026–2027, supporting adult social care employers to invest in workforce development.
This means you could claim funding for a range of training, including leadership and management programmes.
Not sure where to start or how to make a claim?
Join this LDSS webinar on Wednesday 15 April, 10–11 am.
Register free now
Pete Humphreys, Flourish's Head of Partnerships, will cover:
- What LDSS funding is – including eligibility and what training can be claimed
- How to claim LDSS funding and how the reimbursement process works
- How LDSS funding can support leadership and management training
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An overview of Flourish's Skills for Care fully funded leadership programmes, including Well Led, Lead to Succeed, Leading Care Improving Change
Register free now
| | The Oxfordshire Trusted Assessor Service provides support Monday - Friday at the John Radcliffe Hospital and The Horton and now at all Oxfordshire Community Hospitals which have impatient beds. | | |
We take referrals on:
- local authority funded care home placements
- self-funders seeking a care home placement
- self-funders seeking a home care package
- complex local authority funded home care packages
To contact the Service:
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email oacp.taoxon@nhs.net
- Valerie Jarvis 07864 686 552
- Rachel Adams 07860 371 099
- Genna Manock 07594 781 730
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How are we doing Apr 2025 - Mar 2026?
- 972 assessments, an average of 5.45 assessments per working day
- 88.7% of assessments completed same day or next day
- 82.4% of assessments referred by providers or sourced by our Team
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Saving the local system £2,581,833 in 2,430 NHS bed days
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Plus over 1,400 daily updates to date as requested by care homes or dom care
Saving care provider time in care settings…
- 3,888 hrs at 4 hrs per assessment
- 5,832 hrs at 6 hrs per assessment
Using a reaonable, hourly provider assessment cost of £40 ph, that has saved the sector between £156,000 and £233,000 over the year.
At a total cost to the Oxfordshire system of £100,899
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Are you making use of this FREE service?
- Thorough, unbiased assessments for individuals in hospitals needing ongoing care
- A single point of contact for care providers in Oxfordshire, so you don't have to deal with multiple people for updates
- Assistance with discharge planning to make sure a patient can go home safely and on time
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AI | harnessing new tech for ASC
We attended a conference on AI last week, part of a series looking at different aspects of implementation across adult social care. Discussion focused on the current state of the sector and its readiness for increased tech, safeguarding personal data and experience, and the response of care recipients to AI. Amongst a range of stimulating topics was from the USA with the creation of Ask Aya, an AI chatbot to support the lone working domestic workforce (a wide range of home care, personal assistants, domestic housekeepers, child care etc). This is aimed at the significant self-employed market, much larger in the USA, staffed by diverse nationalities, many with English as a second language. A full report from the conference will be out shortly.
Read more in the Digital Care Hub April newsletter
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How we can support as your Local Support Organisation: Free digital health checks
- Review your current digital maturity
- Practical recommendation
- Private report for your eyes only
Focus areas:
- Staff awareness & training
- Information flows (what data is held, sources, sharing, systems)
- Cyber security measures (passwords, firewalls, antivirus)
- Business continuity (backups, downtime processes)
- Technical check: optional Microsoft PowerShell review on up to 3 Windows PCs
- Confidential report: findings + tailored, practical recommendations(Implementation remains the provider’s decision)
Contact us to find out more
| | Your support to overseas recruitment | | |
International Recruitment Project Bulletin no. 44
In summary:
- Project Update – over 500 displaced workers placed into new sponsored roles
- 2025-26 Grant Processing Update
- Looking Ahead to 2026-27
- Sponsored Worker Pay Update – no increase to £12.82 threshold despite NMW rise to £12.71
- Visa & Sponsor Licence Fee Increases – 6.5% increase from April 2026; key cost changes outlined
- Earned Settlement Reforms Update
- UKVI Enforcement Crackdown – shift to stricter compliance approach; recommendations for remaining compliant
- Legal Helpline Extended
- SESCA Conference 2026 – Wednesday 24 June, Sandown Park Racecourse, Surrey
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US-Israel-Iran war | NHS supply chain
With concerns to future supply lines, this is a reminder that, as in COVID, there is an alternate supply line that you can register with as a contingency.
NHS Supply Chain is available for all health and social care providers to access a range of equipment. We do not suggest that this should be a provider’s main supplier, but could be a useful contingency should there be supply chain issues.
There is a range of products available to which some ASC providers may already be signed up.
Please see here to find out more: https://www.supplychain.nhs.uk/categories/
To order from NHS Supply Chain, organisations need to set up an account here:
- Create New or Modify Existing Customer Account » NHS Supply Chain
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Complete the form under the section I work for an organisation that is not an Acute NHS Organisation.
- A request will be sent to the customer services team, who will seek approvals and set your account up. This will be emailed through to you with your relevant details in 2-4 weeks.
- Please make sure to complete the authentication question at the end before submission.
- Invoices will be sent to the address or email provided at set up.
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You can then order through the online catalogue here: https://my.supplychain.nhs.uk/catalogue or you can send us orders electronically from your ordering system.
Concerns about medical supplies and medication have been raised by the Care Association Alliance with the National Resilience Team.
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Finding the cheapest petrol locally
There are a range of apps which list current petrol/ diesel prices and locations/ distance to them from your location - we list five below.
Save at the Pump is deemed to be most accurate, because retailers are legally obliged to report.
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NHSBSA Capacity Tracker | Providers at risk of receiving NOIs
There are ASC providers (Care Home and/or Home Care) in our locality who did not submit an update for the previous two windows (February and March) and are therefore 'at risk' of receiving a Notice of Intent, and potentially subject to a fixed penalty if they do not update in the April 2026 compliance window.
The April compliance window opened on Wednesday 8 April and closes on Tuesday 14 April 2026.
If you are no longer active (eg; have de-registered, please contact CQC directly to de-register (03000 616161 or email enquiries@cqc.org.uk).
OACP cannot see individual provider returns, but we believe there are 5 care homes and 22 home care providers at risk of NOIs and a fixed penalty charge equal to your annual CQC registration fee.
Need extra help?
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DHSC | Skills England survey on skills passports
Skills England are exploring the potential of skills passports: portable, standardised records of an individual’s verified skills, qualifications and experience. These tools already exist in some sectors and can help people showcase their abilities, navigate career options, meet industry requirements and access new opportunities.
Skills England want to understand whether this kind of approach would be useful in practice, what it would need to work well, and what can be learned from any similar schemes that already exist. The survey asks a small number of open questions. It is not a tick-box survey and there are no right or wrong answers. Skills England is looking for views and experiences from employers, providers, sector bodies, and individuals.
Because this work is potentially relevant to the adult social care workforce, DHSC are keen to encourage responses from across the sector. When completing the survey, please select “Care Services” as the sector category. This will allow responses from adult social care to be identified and reviewed together during analysis.
Take part: https://forms.office.com/e/uC54s8g5Wc
The survey is open until 23:59 on 17 April 2026.
| | DHSC | ASC client level data England: quarterly update to December 2025 | | |
The total number of people receiving long-term support in England showed an increase from 662,000 on 31 January 2025 to 683,000 on 31 December 2025.
The trend is driven by the increase in long-term support delivered in community settings, which covers home care and support in the form of direct payments from the local authority that people can then use to buy their own care and support.
The number of people receiving long-term support in the community increased from 465,000 on 31 January 2025 to 486,000 on 31 December 2025. This number increased in all age groups. The majority of people assessed between January 2025 and December 2025 were recorded as female (58% of those with recorded gender).
Data is only publicly available by region with the south east ranking second highest for new assessments for care.
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On 31 December 2025:
- 486,000 people were receiving support in the community
- 139,000 people were receiving support in residential care homes
- 55,000 people were receiving support in nursing homes
- 250 people were receiving support in prison
Read more here
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NHS | Resident doctor industrial action
Resident doctors on strike from 7am on 7 - 13 April as part of ongoing action regarding pay and job security.
Read more on BBC News
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Richmond Chambers | Sponsor duties tightened - Skilled Worker rules rewritten
The UK sponsorship regime is undergoing a significant and deliberate shift. The Home Office has introduced a series of updates to sponsor licence guidance over the past year, with further changes continuing into 2026.
Read more
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Care Association Alliance | our big family
We are part of the largest national care association, the Care Association Alliance, with over 6,000 members across England as members of over 50 local care associations.
This informs us of current concerns, we can source potential solutions on behalf of you and it helps inform our local communications.
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Consistent, quality information
We mail out once a week on a Wednesday, so you know when to look out for it.
These updates provide summary advice on emerging issues and signpost providers to Government and other statutory agency advice as needed.
Reminder
We are always keen to hear from YOU. If you have anything you would like to share with provider colleagues, please send to the usual address.
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OACP is partnered with the Institute of Health and Social Care Management to provide development and networking opportunities for managers.
If you would like to take advantage of your OACP Membership offer with IHSCM, please contact us for your password to access their services.
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IHSCM have put together a quick promo video for you just giving a bit of an introduction to your FREE membership with IHSCM.
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ALL managers who work for you will be able to access these opportunities for free.
If you're not sure if your organisation is eligible as an OACP Member, please contact us.
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OACP Member offers | OACP works with the following suppliers to bring you market insight, quality products and expert advice.
Contact them today...quote 'OACP'
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One platform
Complete care management
Confident compliance
If you’re reviewing your systems or thinking about how to make compliance more sustainable, this may be well worth exploring and we invite you to get in touch with CareLineLive.
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Whatever your goals, Citation will help your business to succeed with unrivalled HR and Health & Safety support and expertise for small and medium-sized business.
10% off your first contract as an OACP Member.
Find out more
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Flourish provide part funded online care training to support care providers in Oxfordshire.
Part-funding is provided by Oxfordshire County Council.
Find out more
Staff using the training can take advantage of a significant range of discounts and offers with Flourish Rewards.
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Gather provide cost-effective insight and engagement solutions.
Gain quick and easy feedback from your residents, NOK and employees, instantly analysed and accessible to help you confirm what you are doing well, and identify areas to strengthen your business.
Simple and effective engagement tools assist with new hire/apprenticeship evaluations, staff assessments, worker voice, and employee well-being. Giving you a stronger workforce, making recruitment easier, reducing absence and retaining staff.
Find out more or email team@wegather.info
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Log My Care is accredited by NHSX as an Assured Supplier for Digital Social Care Records.
Fancy a chat? We’re just a click away
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The platform for outstanding care management.
Our platform gathers insights to help you allocate resources and speed up your day-to-day tasks, so you can focus more on those in need.
Easy and intuitive, it can be used in any setting, without the need for extensive training. Designed alongside support workers and service users, it's the platform of choice for enriching the lives of everyone in care.
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