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Welcome to our weekly updates
Supporting Care Providers Through Collaboration, Insight and Action
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We launched our first Lunch and Listen session with SECAMB last week, for care providers contacting NHS 999/111 during times of increased system pressures. Gold members can access the full resource pack through the members’ section of our website.
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This session marks the start of a renewed programme of collaborative activity with our partners and sponsors, designed to deliver high-quality, relevant and genuinely value-for-money events that respond to the real operational challenges facing care providers. By working closely with system partners, we are focused on practical learning, shared understanding and support that makes a difference on the ground.
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Below are the Dates for Your Diary, bringing together upcoming events, briefings and training opportunities from across our network. These sessions reflect our commitment to supporting providers with workforce, wellbeing, system navigation and leadership – and we encourage you to book early where possible.
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Earned Settlement Consultation – Step-by-Step Guidance
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East Sussex Registered Managers Network Meeting in partnership with Skills for Care
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📅 22 January | 3.15 – 4.15pm
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Brighton & Hove Registered Managers Forum in partnership with Skills for Care
📅 18th feb
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Care Managers Well-Being Symposium - Sussex Partners in Care
📅 18 March | 9.30 – 15.30
👉 Book now
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From detailed policy briefings and consultations to new themed content and free local events, this edition also includes a wide range of updates designed to keep ES & B&H care providers informed, connected and supported. As always, our focus is on practical value, shared learning and strengthening the voice of care providers across the system.
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If you need any specific support or advice around events, professional development or engagement opportunities, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
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Provider Briefing Webinar
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Earned Settlement Consultation – Step-by-Step Guidance
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3.15 – 4.15pm, Thursday 22 January
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Speaker: Victoria Buyer, Public Affairs Consultant. To maximise provider engagement ahead of the consultation deadline, we are delivering a webinar providing step-by-step guidance to help providers understand the new settlement proposals and respond effectively to the consultation.
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• Explain the key proposals within the Earned Settlement consultation
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• Set out the likely implications for workforce planning, retention and sponsorship
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• Provide step-by-step guidance on how to complete the Home Office consultation
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• Highlight practical steps providers can take to support overseas staff.
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Please click here to read our first International Recruitment Project Bulletin of 2026, which includes:
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- Earned Settlement Consultation – Closes Thursday, 12 February
- Proposals could mean migrant care workers must wait 15 years before claiming settlement
- Sector Action
- In December, UNISON led a parliamentary lobby that saw hundreds of overseas care workers and NHS staff travel to Westminster to challenge proposed immigration rule changes
- Fair Pay Agreement Consultations
- Main Consultation closes this Friday, 16 January; Easy Read Consultation closes Friday, 6 March
- DHSC information video explaining the consultation
- FREE International Recruitment Webinar
- 10:00 – 11:30 am, Thursday, 12th February
- Update on current international recruitment and sponsorship issues affecting providers
- FREE Legal Helpline – Now Live
- 30-minute consultation with Lester Aldridge Solicitors
- Tel: 01202 786126 | Email: sescahelp@LA-Law.com
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Whether you are preparing for your first assessment, striving to deliver outstanding care, or needing to improve, we can help. 
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Our popular one-day seminars bring together front-line managers and compliance leads to share insight and ideas, and all attendees receive a comprehensive toolkit enabling you to put your learning into practice straight away.
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Book now and save 10% using promo code 10%OFF
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Open Consultations:
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Launch of Digital Care in Focus – monthly themes - find out more
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We are kicking off a new series of communications activities called Digital Care in Focus. Each month we will focusing on a key theme and sharing insights across our website, social media, newsletters, webinars and podcasts. The aim is to encourage thoughtful discussions, and each mini campaign will include:
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· Week 1: Setting the scene
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What the topic means in adult social care and why it matters now.
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· Week 2: Evidence and insight
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What research, practice experience and lived experience tell us, including gaps.
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· Week 3: Emerging opportunities and issues
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Policy direction, funding, pilots, programmes and emerging risks.
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· Week 4: Leadership and future support
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What care leaders, commissioners, policymakers, regulators and tech suppliers need to do next.
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Free Events for Sussex Providers
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With so much going on, why not follow our eventbrite page to be notified as soon as we launch a new event
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Keeping on top of HR and Health & Safety compliance is an ongoing challenge for UK employers, especially with legislation and best practice constantly evolving.
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Falling behind can expose businesses to enforcement action, fines, claims, and reputational damage.
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That’s why our Partner, Citation, has created a FREE HR & Health & Safety Compliance Checklist to help you:
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- Understand your core HR and Health & Safety obligations
- Identify potential compliance gaps
- Reduce risk and avoid common pitfalls
- Take practical steps to stay legally compliant
- Feel confident you’re meeting regulatory requirements
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Citation’s HR, Employment Law, and Health & Safety experts support thousands of UK businesses to stay compliant, reduce risk, and save valuable time. Call 0345 844 1111 or click here to find out how Citation can help. Don’t forget to mention RCA East Sussex, Brighton & Hove to access your preferential rates.
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Staffing pressures in social care aren’t easing — and regulation is tightening at the same time.
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By 2040, the sector will need hundreds of thousands of additional workers, yet:
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- sponsorship rules are becoming stricter
- penalties for non-compliance are rising
- employment law enforcement is expanding
That’s why we’re running a joint Borderless x Peninsula session focused specifically on care providers.
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Biggest challenges to care businesses in 2026 & how we can help
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You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of:
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- where the biggest compliance risks sit
- how sponsorship and employment law now overlap
- what practical steps you should take this year
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Hempsons CMM CQC Q&A series: Prosecutions of health and social care providers in England
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In this blog series, Philippa Doyle, Head of Social Care at Hempsons, answers the most common questions providers ask when dealing with the CQC.
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There has been no major change in regulatory approach. While terminology and publication practices have changed, the fundamental approach CQC takes to enforcement has not significantly shifted.
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Are there material changes providers should be aware of?
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The latest CQC enforcement policy reflects changes made a year ago. Click here for the latest CQC enforcement policy, as of January 2025, setting out how the regulator addresses concerns about providers and individuals.
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I hope you are all doing well and finding moments of joy through January. This edition of What’s New in Adult Social Care shares a range of useful updates and resources for health and social care managers and teams across Sussex.
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Read this week’s newsletter here:
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We hope you find these newsletters helpful. If you need any specific support or advice around continuing professional development, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
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We’ve created a short, anonymous survey (around 3 minutes) to help us understand:
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- Whether MILE has been helpful in any way so far
- What you’d like to see more of in future newsletters
Your feedback will directly shape what we prioritise and help us make future newsletters as relevant and practical as possible for our busy sector.
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The survey will be open until Friday 20th February. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and for engaging with MILE
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Supporting Quality and Inspections: How AI Is Helping the Care Sector
Quality, safety, and accountability sit at the heart of the care sector. For care providers, maintaining high standards while meeting regulatory requirements is a constant responsibility — and one that often comes with significant administrative pressure.
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As expectations continue to rise, AI is becoming a valuable support for care services navigating inspections, audits, and quality improvement.
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Staying Inspection-Ready
Preparing for inspections can be time-consuming and stressful. AI-supported systems can help care providers keep documentation organised, up to date, and accessible — reducing last-minute pressure and supporting a culture of continuous readiness rather than reactive preparation.
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Identifying Risks Earlier
AI can help analyse data across incidents, care records, and operational activity to identify patterns or emerging risks. This enables care providers to take early action, strengthen safeguards, and demonstrate proactive leadership in quality and safety.
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Reducing Administrative Burden
Much of the work associated with compliance sits alongside frontline care. By supporting tasks such as reporting, monitoring, and evidence gathering, AI helps reduce the administrative load on managers and staff — freeing up time for leadership, development, and direct support.
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Supporting Consistent Standards Across Services
For organisations operating multiple services, maintaining consistency can be challenging. AI can support oversight across locations, helping providers compare performance, share best practice, and maintain consistent quality standards across their organisation.
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Protecting Person-Centred Care
Strong compliance should never come at the expense of compassion. By handling complex and repetitive processes in the background, AI helps protect time for meaningful, person-centred care — ensuring people remain at the centre of every decision.
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In a sector where quality is non-negotiable, AI isn’t about cutting corners — it’s about strengthening confidence, consistency, and care.
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Click here to view our new and updated website with all our Sponsors!
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