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1 – Ahead of registration
  • What can we do ahead of CQC registration?
    Ahead of registering with CQC, you may wish to consider offering companionship services, and domestic services, and if you have a venue, you may be able to host day opportunities. You are unable to provide care until you have a CQC registration.
  • The following should help you attract new self-funding clients
    • Websites are important
      Having a good, clear and data-protected website tells your customers that you should be taken seriously. Should consider including business location, contact details, any qualifications or registrations, links to local/community groups.
    • Branding
      Some of our members sponsor events and activities in their local communities. You may wish to consider sponsorship at community events, local schools, church events, plus civic beautification, such as “in bloom” groups (links to in bloom and other things)
    • Leaflets
      If printing leaflets, ensure they are professional in appearance (similar to webpage). Start with a small locus and work outwards to monitor performance. The Post Office can support with leaflet deliveries: Business – Marketing – Door to Door – Drop a leaflet | Royal Mail Group Ltd
    • Facebook and other social media
      Social media can be great to engage with your potential customers and local community. We recommend joining local groups and pages, to increase your reach.

      View our Health Watch Social Media Guide

    • Attending community and sector events and meetings
      Get involved with your local community. Research what is going on in the area e.g. some home care providers run Dementia Cafes. Read the posters and leaflets at Libraries and Town Information centres. Attend local events.Consider how best to link in with your local sector, to collaborate and discuss issues with your peers and competitors:

      – HCPA Network meetings

      – HCPA Homecare forum.

2 – Registering your business
3 – Tenders and commissions

Hertfordshire County Council spot provision / preferred provider list has now closed.

Please ensure you are subscribed to our e-news for updates on tenders and commissioning opportunities. To subscribe click here.

  • NHS / council contract tenders in different areas
    Register with Contracts Finder : www.gov.uk/contracts-finder this will send daily alerts of available contracts.You may then need to register with a portal such as In-Tend or Proactis if an opportunity For more information on lead and spot provision, plus accessing HCPA web resources within our Members Zone, please see further details here: Domiciliary Care Brochure – 10/2021
4 – Where to start?

The HCPA Care Provider Hub is an “ask us anything” service, for you and your staff…anyone with a question about health and social care in Hertfordshire.

It started as a COVID support service, and this team are available Mon to Fri (9am to 5pm) for you to ask any questions. Common questions currently concern new/updated Government guidance, funding and finance support, accessing training, employee assistance and well-being.  Our suite of webpages hold many of the answers to the most common questions asked, and all COVID guidance.

Members Zone
Our Members Zone contains all the toolkit and best practice guidance relevant to our sector in Hertfordshire. Please visit: Members Zone | HCPA

What’s in it for me?
Please make all staff aware of this free service. All enquiries are responded to. No such thing as a stupid question!
In times of need (such as large COVID spikes) the service may resume 24/7 operations. All support 100% free

www.hcpa.info/hub
assistance@hcpa.co.uk
01707 708108

5 – Staffing
  • Herts Good Care Recruitment
    Herts Good Care Recruitment is an experienced non-profit recruitment service delivered by Hertfordshire Care Providers Association in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council. As a HCPA member, our service is completely free for you to use. You can advertise your available vacancies by visiting hertsgoodcare.com/recruit  and liaise with our experienced recruitment team to help fill your vacancies.We have completed a values-based screening with each candidate you receive from us to ensure they are the right fit for your job. Our direct service is an additional source of recruitment, use us alongside your usual recruitment methods. You can also access our other key services such as one-to-one recruitment support, leadership training at HCPA and recruitment and retention study days to improve your own processes.

    Visit the website:     www.hertsgoodcare.com/recruit where you can:
    • Advertise your vacancy
    • Utilise HCPA’s best practice recruitment guidance
    • Get involved in the Good Care Campaign 
    • Get in touch with the team

    What’s in it for me?
    Local recruitment support, at no cost

    Email jobs@hertsgoodcare.com

  • Temporary Staffing – Agency Charter of Excellence Mark (ACE)
    The Agency Charter of Excellence Mark is recognition for all staff recruitment agencies who offer care staff to Adult Care providers in Hertfordshire

    What’s in it for me?
    This service offers an easy to use list of Agencies which can be searched for specific roles and areas. Providers are encouraged set up agreements with 2 or 3 ready of these ACE agencies, to call upon when needed.Web – https://www.hcpa.info/ace/

    Currently offered for free to all HCPA members

6 - Training your staff
  • Skills for Care Mandatory Training Guidance: Skills for Care Mandatory Training Guidance tells you what training you need to do and when this needs to be refreshed, but please remember you will need specific core skills for the particular individuals you support. CQC Excerpt: “The registered person must have suitable arrangements in place in order to ensure that persons employed for the purposes of carrying on the regulated activity are appropriately supported in relation to their responsibilities, to enable them to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard, including by— (a) receiving appropriate training, professional development, supervision and appraisal; and (b) being enabled, from time to time, to obtain further qualifications appropriate to the work they perform”.Web: Core and mandatory training (skillsforcare.org.uk)
  • Want to offer rewards and incentives to your staff? Want to track their training and development? How about the Care Professionals Academy. Contact: contact@careprofessional.co.ukThe Care Professional Academy is an online platform where Care Professionals can log training certificates and qualifications and gain access to exclusive rewards and discounts. Employers can also utilise the platform to track and monitor staff training and development and incentivise their staff to engage with further training.

    Rewards include money off supermarkets; cinemas; most high street retailers; MOT and car servicing; and hundreds more! Visit www.careprofessional.co.uk to find out more and:

    • Sign up to the Academy Provider Portal
    • Join an upcoming webinar to find out more about the Academy
    • Find resources to share with your staff to engage them in the discounts and savings
    • Promote the Academy to your staff as your own employee benefits programme

    What’s in it for me?

    • Your very own FREE Employee benefit programme
    • One space to track all your staff training effectively, enter the Matrix…

    What is the Academy Training Matrix?

    • Within your Academy provider portal, the training matrix is available for you (FREE):
    • Categorise training certificates and qualifications against the Skills for Care Core and Mandatory Training Topics
    • See an overview of all staff in one page
    •  See where there are gaps in your staff training
    • Filter by name, job title and certificate name
    • Use reporting templates provided for your Academy Training Matrix

    Web – provider.careprofessional.co.uk/matrix/

  • New staff inductions – Education for New Care staff
    Care certificate training is available here. Cost for HCPA members is £60 per person.
    All staff must be fully inducted into the care sector to enable them to understand their roles and responsibilities and ensure services are compliant with the inspectorate. A person without this competence will remain under-confident, may leave the job or worse, may inadvertently cause someone harm.
    HCPA’s Care CertificatePLUS programme provides the knowledge of Skills for Care’s ‘Care Certificate‘, plus an introductory qualification in Health and Care. Delivered over 4 days, with a live tutor, delegates have the opportunity to personalise their learning, ask questions, and gain insights from an experienced Care professional. Plus, delegates can attend up to 2 additional days at HCPA Campus to learn the practical skills of Moving & Assisting and/or Basic Life Support and IPC essentials. Delegates will be supported to evidence their knowledge, to enable competencies to be observed by a competent person within the organisation. When the staff member has demonstrated that they are competent in each of the standards, a record of the competency checks should be recorded, and kept in the organisation to present to inspectors, or any other stakeholders, when required. A full Care Certificate can then be made from the Skills for Care website.
    A self-assessment should be undertaken for those who come to you with a certificate or care qualifications. Refresher Training for all staff who have completed the Care Certificate or have at least 1 years of care experience should be completed by booking onto individual courses.
  • Community learning opportunities: Step2Skills – Workshops and courses at all levels, including business administration: www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/microsites/adult-learning/step2skills-home.aspx
  • Barclays Digital Eagles: Computer and office skills, plus business courses: digital.wings.uk.barclays
  • Education for all staff
    No one Care role can be boxed into a single course. Roles and responsibilities can vary hugely, so our pick and mix offer of training courses and education, allows for training plans to be developed which are individualised to each member of staff.

    It’s important that staff are equipped with the right skills and knowledge to provide high quality care and support. Investing in learning and development opportunities can help to support staff retention, whilst ensuring employees feel valued.
    Qualifications play an important role in learning and development and are available for Care professionals at various levels and size dependant on their role, assessed against expected knowledge, skills and behaviours. For more information of qualifications appropriate to roles, visit hcpa.info/qualifications

    Here are the latest Homecare related courses from HCPA:

  • Education for team leaders & managers
    Courses include: Dementia – Creating a culture of person-centred care for managers, Engaging and Retaining a Competent Workforce: Strategies for Leaders, Fire Safety Study – Manager Responsibilities, Managing conflict: Leading through collaboration, Mastering Complaints: Empowering Leaders for Success, Mental Capacity Manager Responsibilities, Navigating Difficult Conversations: Effective Communication Strategies for Leaders, Safeguarding Manager Responsibilities, Supervision & Appraisal, Team Leading, Time Management for Leaders: Applying the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
    Web – www.hcpa.info/training-zone

    It’s important that staff are equipped with the right skills and knowledge to provide high quality care and support. Investing in learning and development opportunities can help to support staff retention, whilst ensuring employees feel valued.
    Qualifications play an important role in learning and development and are available for Care professionals at various levels and size dependant on their role, assessed against expected knowledge, skills and behaviours. For more information of qualifications appropriate to roles, visit hcpa.info/qualifications

  • New Manager? Inspire could be your answer:
    New to management or have staff you want to be the managers of tomorrow?
    HCPA can provide a bespoke programme to give new managers the skills and confidence and become empowered. We can fit this around your values, policies, procedures and processes. This covers lead to succeed, well led, understanding performance management, understanding self-management skills and understanding workplace culture. HCPA offer this as a Skills for Care Centre of excellence and endorsed provider. The journey starts with a consultation with our team and may be available fully-funded (Workplace development funding).What’s in it for me?
    This provides everything a new manager would need. We work to your schedules and make sure this is always a good fit.
    www.hcpa.info/skills-for-care-endorsed-training / Contact: leadership@hcpa.co.uk
  • Education for Leaders & proprietors
    Courses include: Medication Governance, Dementia – Creating a culture of person-centred care for managers, Engaging and Retaining a Competent Workforce: Strategies for Leaders, Fire Safety Study – Manager Responsibilities, Governance: A guide to ensure your Care service is CARING, Governance: A guide to ensure your Care service is EFFECTIVE, Governance: A guide to ensure your Care service is RESPONSIVE, Governance: A guide to ensure your Care service is SAFE, Governance: A guide to ensure your Care service is WELL-LED, Managing conflict: Leading through collaboration, Mastering Complaints: Empowering Leaders for Success, Mental Capacity Manager Responsibilities, Navigating Difficult Conversations: Effective Communication Strategies for Leaders, Safeguarding Manager Responsibilities, Supervision & Appraisal, Tender Bid Writing, Time Management for Leaders: Applying the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Data Protection and Information Governance.Web – www.hcpa.info/training-zone
  • Education for Trainers & Champions
    Champion education is recognised as a useful and efficient way to grow an expert within your own service. Four full days of training (not back-to-back). HCPA can help you grow your own champions in a number of topics: Adult Disability Positive Behaviour Support, Dementia person-centred care, Enabling & Mobility, Falls & Frailty, Mental Capacity, Safeguarding
    HCPA can also support with Moving & Assisting Train the Trainer courses
    Web – www.hcpa.info/training-zone
  • Can’t see education that you require? How about our Approved Training Providers?
    HCPA Quality Assures training providers who offer a range of courses. These Approved Trainer Provider will deliver high quality training within your workplace (External Training Providers). Using an HCPA Approved Trainer Provider means that funding claims can be made towards the cost of training, per delegate.
    What’s in it for me?
    Apply to be an Internal Approved Training Provider, train your own staff on Mandatory Subjects and claim back funds towards the cost of training.Webpage –  www.hcpa.info/approved-training-providers
7 - Paying for training
  • Mandatory Training Funding:
    HCPA continues to work in partnership with the Local Authority and endeavours to make a contribution towards your training costs.  Use an HCPA approved training provider for your staff training in any of the mandatory subjects and you can claim up to £40 per learner.
    What’s in it for me? 
    Why not use a HCPA Approved Training Provider and get a contribution to your training that is Mandatory.

    Webpage for service – www.hcpa.info/mandatory-funding

  • Workforce Development Fund:
    Most of the education at HCPA is fully funded for members, however occasionally there are costs. We do whatever we can to help reduce or remove these costs to you. If you’re an adult social care employer in England, funding can be claimed towards the cost of selected social care qualifications and learning programmes. Up to a maximum of £2,000 can be claimed per learner per funding year.

    What’s in it for me?
    Be able to upskill and progress your staff with new qualifications AND claim the funds back from the training.

    Webpage for service – www.hcpa.info/workforce-development-fund

    Enquire as to whether you have partnered with us through Skills for Care. If not, email leighannreed@hcpa.co.uk for the Members Declaration form (This is NOT the same as HCPA Membership) Update your ASC-WDS (Data Set). Once this is complete you will be ready to claim.

8 - Services to support care organisations
  •  Business Continuity Support Service (BCPSS)
    The Business Continuity Support Service (BCPSS) ensures forward planning to identify and manage all potential risks that could disrupt your service delivery.

    What’s in it for me?
    This will give you access to the HCPA Business Continuity Planning Toolkit which is an easy-to-use guide and template of what to include and where, along with one-to-one support. It also ensures robust risk management and contingency planning for a proactive and solution focused approach.

    Web – www.hcpa.info/services/bcpss

    Email – businessdevelopment@hcpa.co.uk

    Currently offered for free to all HCPA members

  • STAN+
    STAN+ is an electronic survey, simple to complete, which gathers feedback and vital information on the training needs of your staff, it incorporates a more in-depth look into how your staffing team feel about their confidence, competence and knowledge within their job role, together with feedback from your staff on key business areas in line with the 5 key questions.

    What’s in it for me?
    The clear and concise reports will highlight if gaps exist in your company’s training needs; and will identify on an individual basis how your staff feel about their ability to perform well in their job role, which can be a useful tool for your staff supervisions. It also gives pointers to the culture of the organisation

    Web – www.hcpa.info/services/stan

    Currently fully funded for all HCPA members and for providers contracted and inspected by HCC, and free for all new academy portal sign ups from Nottinghamshire, and is part of the HCPA Gold Membership journey.

    6C’s Culture Check
    Our 6C’s service is a user friendly and quick online survey, which offers an effective way of gathering information and feedback anonymously from your staff on how they view their stability and the “health” and culture of your provision, through 6 different areas:

    • Care
    • Compassion
    • Courage
    • Commitment
    • Competence
    • Communication


    What’s in it for me?
    From this survey you will be able to identify areas that you may wish to develop to strengthen and progress, as well as help you identify the loyalty of your staff and therefore aid your retention and recruitment processes.

    Web – www.hcpa.info/services/6-cs-culture-check

    Currently offered for free to all HCPA members, and is part of the HCPA Gold Membership journey.

  • Impartial Feedback Service
    Our Impartial Feedback Service (IFS) is the most effective way of gathering open and honest feedback from key stakeholders. We then utilise this valuable insight from within your service to create an appropriate development plan for you to push forward the quality of your provision.

    What’s in it for me?
    By completing the IFS, you will be conforming to Health & Social Care Act Regulation 17: “Providers must seek and act on feedback from people using the service, those acting on their behalf, staff and other stakeholders so they can continually evaluate the service and drive improvement.”

    Web – www.hcpa.info/services/impartial-feedback-service

    Currently offered for free to all HCPA members. This is a part of the gold journey.

    Digital Care Planning

    DSCR@hcpa.co.uk

    Digital care plans gives your care staff access to all the information they need at their fingertips in a secure package and allows you to monitor the day-to-day care being delivered in the community. For suggestions of which systems you should review, you can see the NHSE Assured Suppliers List.

    What’s in it for me?
    For a limited time only, Herts and West Essex have funding to support up to 50% of your year one implementation costs. For more information on how you can apply for this funding, check out our Funding and Digital Trials page.

  • Data Protection, Secure email and digital services
    HCPA have a team of advisors who can support you with digital systems, data protection and avoiding scams. This team can link to all matters of digital transformation, from Digital Transformation Funding, to free support sessions from our corporate partner Fosn.Net The team can help manage risks from scams and cyber-attacks, provide staff training, provide resources and templates for whatever you could want, even supporting over free NHSmail secure email. The team can check your current compliance, support over anything required, help you avoid HUGE fines for getting things wrong.

    What’s in it for me?

    • Free support (email, phone, web, zoom, one to one) to ensure legal compliance
    • A hotline to discuss data protection matters – If you have a question, why not ask the team?
    • A suite of helpful resources for you. Access the regional Information Governance Forum.
    • Access to free secure email service (NHSmail) and also other digital platforms (Digital Social Care records, Online ordering of medication by proxy)
    • Training in basic IT skills, scam and fraud awareness, Safe use of Microsoft applications.


    www.hcpa.info/data-protection     / DataProtection@hcpa.co.uk

  • SWELL (Staff Well-being)
    This service offers a resource page to give ideas to support your staff to feel happy, healthy and more comfortable in their roles.

    What’s in it for me?
    You are offered the chance to gain a Staff Wellbeing (SWELL) Charter Mark which will highlight to prospective clients and staff your commitment to a proactive and resilient workplace.

    Web – www.hcpa.info/Staff-well-being

    Currently offered for free to all HCPA members.

9 - Commercial Partners

Looking for a good deal? Need further services for your business?

HCPA work with a range of commercial partners. We can put you in touch with any of these services, all of whom have been recommended by other care providers and have provided us with due diligence.

We think these services really help our members which is why we partner with them: 

  • Ridouts Solicitors: Care specialist solicitor to help with all legal issues
  • Peninsula: HR and Employment Law Experts and can help with all HR policies and procedures
  • NJS: Care provider expert, can help with mock inspections and all care policies and procedures
  • Towergate: Care specialist insurance, can do bespoke insurance policies to save you money
  • Underwood Consulting: Bid-writing experts to help you find funding for your organisation
  • Arco: Cleaning and infection control products, quality PPE, uniforms and other care-related goods. Also Fit Testing!
  • HCL: Herts Catering, can provide you kitchens and kitchen staff including your main cook or chef
  • Inception: Discount photocopiers and printers for the care sector, and cheap bulk-printing
  • Apetito: Are the contractor for ‘meals-on-wheels’ but can provide food deliveries and ovens for care homes
  • Fos.Net: Support over IT and cloud computing. 1-hour free support session to members.

What’s in it for me?
Suppliers you can trust to deliver. Good value for money.

10 - Other useful links: