Norfolk Care Association

09/10/2026

Protect Yourself This Winter: Vaccination Guidance for Care Providers 2026/27

As we approach the winter months, Norfolk County Council Public Health is encouraging adult social care providers, staff and people receiving care to check their eligibility for NHS winter vaccinations.

Vaccination plays an important role in protecting vulnerable individuals, reducing the spread of respiratory illnesses and helping services manage winter pressures.

The latest Prevention and Winter Preparedness – Care Providers Bulletin 2026/27 provides guidance on:

- Winter vaccinations, including flu, COVID-19 and RSV
- Vaccination eligibility and booking information
- Infection prevention and control
- Capacity Tracker requirements
- Reporting respiratory infection outbreaks

There is also a particular focus this year on improving vaccination uptake among people receiving domiciliary care, with providers encouraged to share information and support access to vaccination services where appropriate.

Read the latest guidance and access NHS vaccination booking information: https://buff.ly/tDjxvUJ

05/10/2026

10 days to go.

On Thursday 15 October, Norfolk’s adult social care community will come together at St Andrew’s Hall for Celebrating Our Sector: Conference and Norfolk Care Awards 2026.

One ticket brings together:

• Perspectives from CQC and sector speakers
• A panel exploring learning across people, organisations and systems
• Opportunities to connect with providers and partners
• Afternoon tea
• The Norfolk Care Awards ceremony

If you have been meaning to book, now is the time to secure your place.

Book here: https://buff.ly/GC6bqJj

02/10/2026

The Norfolk Care Awards are about more than presenting trophies.

They are an opportunity to bring our sector together and recognise the people, teams and organisations whose dedication makes a difference every day.

You do not need to be a finalist or connected to a nomination to attend. Celebrating Our Sector is open to care providers, frontline staff, unpaid carers, sector partners and everyone committed to adult social care in Norfolk.

Join us on Thursday 15 October at St Andrew’s Hall for our conference, afternoon tea and the Norfolk Care Awards ceremony.

Book your tickets: https://buff.ly/GC6bqJj

The Norfolk Care Awards celebrates the dedication, innovation, and outstanding achievements of individuals, teams, and care providers across the adult social care sector in Norfolk. The awards recognise excellence, inspire innovation, and highlight the incredible impact that staff, volunteers, and u...

30/09/2026

How do we get better at getting better?

That is one of the questions we will explore at Celebrating Our Sector: Conference and Norfolk Care Awards 2026.

We will be joined by:

• Natalie Reed, CQC – Learning and Improvement: A Shared Journey
• Claire Robinson, Civinet – Human Learning Systems: A Provider Perspective
• Helen Jackson, Skills for Care
• Mandi Syrett, UEA
• Anne Riches, Saturn Healthcare and Peer Supporter

Together, they will bring perspectives from regulation, care provision, workforce development and research.

Join us at St Andrew’s Hall on Thursday 15 October for learning, connection, afternoon tea and the Norfolk Care Awards ceremony.

Book your tickets: https://buff.ly/GC6bqJj

28/09/2026

Just over two weeks to go!

Celebrating Our Sector: Conference and Norfolk Care Awards 2026 takes place at St Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, on Thursday 15 October.

Join care providers, frontline staff and sector colleagues from across Norfolk for an afternoon of:

• Learning and sector insight
• Meaningful connections
• Afternoon tea
• Recognition and celebration at the Norfolk Care Awards

Whether you are joining us to support a finalist, learn from our speakers or meet others working across adult social care, we would love to see you there.

Book your tickets: https://buff.ly/GC6bqJj

The Norfolk Care Awards celebrates the dedication, innovation, and outstanding achievements of individuals, teams, and care providers across the adult social care sector in Norfolk. The awards recognise excellence, inspire innovation, and highlight the incredible impact that staff, volunteers, and u...

21/09/2026

Tell it like it is. The good. The bad. Everything in between.

If you work in adult social care, Skills for Care wants to hear about your experience.

The Adult Social Care Workforce Survey is your opportunity to share what working in the sector is really like and make your voice heard.

Your experiences can help build a clearer picture of the adult social care workforce and the issues that matter to people working within it.

Take the survey: https://buff.ly/45iJvaH

18/09/2026

Accidents are never nice, and no matter how many measures you have in place, sometimes there's just no stopping them. Do you know what to do if one happens, whether it's RIDDOR reportable, or what your accident investigation should include?

You don't have to work it out alone. Citation's free Health & Safety advice line is here to help, with friendly, practical and confidential guidance that puts your business first.

Call 0161 504 0843 between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday and don’t forget to quote “NorCA” when you call.

17/09/2026

Norfolk’s adult social care workforce strategy is being shaped, and provider voices need to be part of it.

Norfolk County Council, working with Norfolk Care Association (NorCA), is developing a new Adult Social Care External Workforce Strategy for Norfolk.

We want to hear directly from providers about what’s working well, the workforce challenges you’re facing, where the opportunities are, and what should be prioritised for the future.

There are several ways to get involved:

• Join the Workforce Strategy Steering Group
• Take part in a one hour online Provider Focus Group
• Contribute to upcoming Workforce Strategy Workshops

Your experience will help ensure the strategy reflects the realities of delivering adult social care across Norfolk and supports meaningful, system wide action.

Register your interest by 20 September:
https://buff.ly/zefyMKs

Please share this with colleagues and other Norfolk care providers who may want to contribute.

16/09/2026

Join Norfolk’s adult social care sector for an afternoon of insight, learning and connection - followed by an evening celebrating the incredible people who make our sector what it is.

On Thursday 15 October, the Celebrating Our Sector Conference & Norfolk Care Awards 2026 returns to St Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, bringing together care providers, sector leaders and partners from across Norfolk.

We’re pleased to welcome Natalie Reed, Interim Director of Adult Social Care at CQC, as a guest speaker for the conference.

Natalie will present ‘Learning and Improvement: A Shared Journey’, exploring:

• CQC’s own learning and improvement journey and what it means for providers
• Themes emerging from provider assessments and local authority reviews
• What the sector can learn from these findings
• How regulation can support learning and improvement, rather than compliance alone

The conference is an opportunity to hear directly from sector leaders, gain insight into issues affecting adult social care and connect with colleagues from across Norfolk.

And as the conference draws to a close, we’ll move into the Norfolk Care Awards 2026; celebrating the individuals, teams and organisations making an outstanding contribution to care across our county.

Whether you’re attending to learn, network, support colleagues or celebrate with the sector, we’d love to have you with us.

Celebrating Our Sector Conference & Norfolk Care Awards 2026
📅 Thursday 15 October 2026
📍 St Andrew’s Hall, Norwich

Book your tickets: https://buff.ly/Y1QwXaz

14/09/2026

It’s Professional Care Workers’ Week!

This week is an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the people working across adult social care, and the skill, knowledge and commitment they bring to their roles every day.

From care and support workers to team leaders, managers and everyone working behind the scenes, professional care workers make an enormous contribution to people, families and communities across Norfolk.

It’s also a good opportunity to invest in learning and development. Taking place online this week, Workshop Week offers practical sessions for managers, team leaders and senior support workers:

• **Effective Debriefing** – Tuesday 15 September, 9:30am–12:30pm
• **CQC Readiness: Evidencing Outstanding Practice** – Tuesday 15 September, 1:30pm–4:30pm
• **Completing & Using ABC Forms** – Thursday 17 September, 9:30am–12:30pm
• **Reducing Restrictive Practices** – Friday 18 September, 9:30am–12:30pm

The sessions focus on practical tools and approaches that can be taken back into services and used to support teams and improve practice.

Book any two workshops and receive £15 off using the code **15OFFLI**.

View the full Workshop Week programme and book: https://buff.ly/kJFyAPC

Throughout Professional Care Workers’ Week, we’ll be celebrating the professionalism, expertise and impact of our adult social care workforce.

Thank you to everyone working across care in Norfolk for everything you do.