News and Resources
#ProvidersUnite London Rally Tuesday 25th February.
We were pleased and excited to join our adult social care colleagues from across the country in the #ProvidersUnite rally in London, yesterday, Tuesday 25th February. It was a great turnout helped by the fair weather and support from our members and solidarity across the sector, along with support from the public as we walked around Westminster. Lots of hooting and tooting from passing traffic! With good planning, we packed a lot in to the day! We kick started the event by arranging to meet the ITN crew-thanks to one of the RCPA Directors, Sandra Joyce from Linden House who gave an interview, also meetings with our local MPs via private invitations in to Houses of Parliament and privileged to see areas not normally accessible to the public. Thank you to Gideon Amos, MP (Lib Dem), Sir Ashley Fox, MP (Conservatives) and Rachel Gilmour, MP, (Lib Dem) for their valuable time and hospitality extended to the RCPA and members; we really enjoyed meeting you and left the day buoyed by useful discussions and thoughts for next steps in our campaign.
Please see our RCPA Facebook page for more information and photos, and kindly share! It appears that lobbying has been effective and that at the same time the rally was taking place, the House of Lords was voting on the NIC exemption with a 130 majority against imposing the increases. Still some way to go with House of Commons etc, but there is hope! Some more information here:
https://www.thenational.scot/news/24964219.lords-vote-exempt-health-social-care-nic-hike/
Fee uplifts
NB: These figures not confirmed until full Council ratification on 5th March. Slide deck from Somerset Council’s provider meetings attached.
OMMT free training places – limited funding until April
Please see link in email signature below for more information via the OMMT hub. Also, resources section of RCPA website – you will need log in details, please email admin@rcpa.org.uk if you do not have your member login.
Events
***Members engagement meeting, Monday 3rd March***
The RCPA would like to invite you to a special members’ meeting to discuss, amongst other topics, the recent announcement re fee uplifts by Somerset Council. The meeting will take place Monday 3rd March, 14.00-16.00hrs, Somerset County Cricket Ground, Taunton, TA1 1JT. TEAMs option to join will be available, more details asap.
Venue details: Weston-Super-Mare Suite, 1st floor Marcus Trescothick Pavilion (on the left-hand side as you enter the car park from St James Street/Priory Avenue).
Free parking is available if you enter your car details on the iPad which can be found at the top of the stairs of the pavilion, otherwise you will need to buy a ticket or risk incurring a fine.
If you wish to attend, please can you let us know via email by tomorrow, Friday 28th February indicating preference for TEAMs or F2F as there are limited spaces in the suite. We look forward to seeing you there.
Somerset End of Life Care conference 2025
Thursday 13th March 2025 – Canalside Conference Centre, Bridgwater
For more details, please see the poster attached or book here.
Somerset Health & Care Academy Training Days – Hosted by RCPA – 27th March & 28th April – Taunton Racecourse
We are delighted to be hosting two training days for care staff in collaboration with the Somerset Health & Care Academy.
Choose from:
- Oliver McGowan: Build on your knowledge and understanding of the needs for autistic people and people with a learning disability. This is the Tier Two, all-day course, Tier One must be completed first.
- End-of-Life Care: Develop a compassionate understanding of end-of-life care principles (part day course, to be taken alongside BLS).
- Basic Life Support: Master the fundamentals of Basic Life Support with expert instruction.
- Dementia and Delirium: Gain awareness of dementia and take part in an interactive session on solving what and who caused the delirium.
Please note, the Dementia training is only available in April and is to be taken alongside the BLS and EOL training, to ensure full day CPD completion.
For more information about each training day, and to book, please visit our website.
From our Partners
Howden
UK social care reforms in 2025
The UK social care sector stands at a pivotal juncture. While the government’s budget at the end of last year introduced certain reforms to address longstanding issues, delays and the postponement of critical decisions have elicited mixed reactions from social care providers. Read the latest article from our partner, Howden, to understand the proposed UK social care reforms and the path forward for care providers.