https://kiwiapp.co/news/Dated, sourced news and analysis for UK care providers, from the Kiwi News desk.en-gbhttps://kiwiapp.co/news/telecare-digital-switchover-housing-care-providers/https://kiwiapp.co/news/telecare-digital-switchover-housing-care-providers/Tue, 03 Nov 2026 08:00:00 GMTDigital & dataThe UK's analogue phone network is due to be switched off by January 2027. In new guidance, DHSC estimates that around three-quarters of grouped living scheme telecare alarms, such as warden call systems in sheltered and supported housing, are still analogue. On 22 October the Regulator of Social Housing also told landlords that the switchover could affect telecare, fire alarms, lift alarms and door entry if systems are not upgraded.https://kiwiapp.co/news/earned-settlement-care-workers-5-year-path/https://kiwiapp.co/news/earned-settlement-care-workers-5-year-path/Tue, 03 Nov 2026 08:00:00 GMTImmigration & sponsorshipOn 2 November 2026 the Home Secretary told Parliament that settlement in the UK (indefinite leave to remain) will be earned rather than granted almost automatically after five years. The default wait rises to 10 years. But care workers who met their visa conditions and earned at least £25,000 a year will be able to settle on their existing five-year path.https://kiwiapp.co/news/supported-housing-advisory-panel-first-advice/https://kiwiapp.co/news/supported-housing-advisory-panel-first-advice/Mon, 02 Nov 2026 08:00:00 GMTSupported livingThe Supported Housing Advisory Panel, set up under the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023, published its first advice to ministers on 23 October 2026. It makes 31 recommendations about residents' voice, the coming licensing regime and national standards, and the supply of supported housing in England. The advice is not law, but it signals what support providers and landlords may be asked to show once licensing starts.https://kiwiapp.co/news/adult-social-care-finance-report-2025-26/https://kiwiapp.co/news/adult-social-care-finance-report-2025-26/Mon, 02 Nov 2026 08:00:00 GMTFunding & feesThe Department of Health and Social Care published its adult social care finance report for 2025 to 2026 on 22 October 2026. It shows councils in England spent £31.6 billion gross on adult social care, up 8% in cash terms. The average cost to councils of a week of residential or nursing care rose 6% to £1,251.09, and an hour of externally provided home care rose 5% to £24.72.https://kiwiapp.co/news/carers-allowance-cliff-edge-unpaid-carers-survey-2026/https://kiwiapp.co/news/carers-allowance-cliff-edge-unpaid-carers-survey-2026/Mon, 02 Nov 2026 08:00:00 GMTWorkforce & payThe government says it will end the Carer's Allowance "cliff edge". At the moment, carers lose the whole allowance if they earn even a penny over the weekly earnings limit; in future, support will taper away by £1 for every £1 earned over it. The Budget on 28 October 2026 confirmed the taper will be introduced during 2030–31, in England and Wales. The news follows the latest national survey of unpaid carers in England, which found that a quarter had developed their own health conditions because of caring.https://kiwiapp.co/news/mileage-rates-care-workers-55p-permanent-35p-2027/https://kiwiapp.co/news/mileage-rates-care-workers-55p-permanent-35p-2027/Mon, 02 Nov 2026 08:00:00 GMTWorkforce & payCare workers who use their own car for work can now be paid up to 55p a mile tax-free for their first 10,000 business miles a year, and the Budget on 28 October 2026 made that rate permanent. From 6 April 2027, the rate for business miles above 10,000 will rise from 25p to 35p. For employers in supported living and community services, where staff drive between houses and appointments, it's a good moment to check mileage policies.https://kiwiapp.co/news/covid-inquiry-module-6-care-sector-report/https://kiwiapp.co/news/covid-inquiry-module-6-care-sector-report/Fri, 30 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTLaw & policyOn 20 October 2026, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry published its Module 6 report on how the pandemic affected adult social care across the UK. Introducing it in Parliament, the Prime Minister said the Inquiry's Chair found that the sector went into the pandemic in a fragile state and that protections for people receiving and giving care came too late. The government has said it will consider the recommendations and respond in due course.https://kiwiapp.co/news/new-ipc-guidance-adult-social-care-2026/https://kiwiapp.co/news/new-ipc-guidance-adult-social-care-2026/Fri, 30 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTCQC & inspectionsOn 28 October 2026 the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) published a single infection prevention and control (IPC) resource for adult social care in England. It updates the 2022 adult social care IPC guidance and the 2013 care homes IPC guidance and brings them into one place. It covers care homes, supported living, day services and care in people's own homes.https://kiwiapp.co/news/employment-rights-act-harassment-duties-unfair-dismissal-dates/https://kiwiapp.co/news/employment-rights-act-harassment-duties-unfair-dismissal-dates/Thu, 29 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTWorkforce & payFrom Friday 30 October 2026, employers in England, Wales and Scotland must take "all reasonable steps" to prevent sexual harassment of their staff, and must not permit staff to be harassed by third parties. On 22 October the government also added more detail on its 2027 timetable for the Employment Rights Act 2025, confirming that the unfair dismissal qualifying period falls to six months for dismissals from 1 January 2027.https://kiwiapp.co/news/cqc-dementia-care-guidance-call-for-views/https://kiwiapp.co/news/cqc-dementia-care-guidance-call-for-views/Thu, 29 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTCQC & inspectionsThe Care Quality Commission (CQC) is developing new guidance on what good dementia care should look like across health and social care services in England. Before it writes the guidance, it is asking for views through a short survey. The survey closes at 5pm on Friday 30 October 2026. CQC plans a formal consultation on the draft guidance in early 2027.https://kiwiapp.co/news/national-living-wage-2027/https://kiwiapp.co/news/national-living-wage-2027/Wed, 28 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTWorkforce & payThe National Living Wage (NLW) for workers aged 21 and over will rise by 3.9%, from £12.71 to £13.21 an hour, on 1 April 2027. The government announced it in the Budget on 28 October 2026, accepting the Low Pay Commission's recommendations in full. The youth and apprentice rates rise by 3.9% too. In adult social care, where a large share of staff are paid at or near the legal minimum, the rise will lift a big part of the pay bill at once.https://kiwiapp.co/news/budget-2026-what-it-means-for-care-providers/https://kiwiapp.co/news/budget-2026-what-it-means-for-care-providers/Wed, 28 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTFunding & feesThe Chancellor delivered Budget 2026 on 28 October 2026. For care providers, the biggest change is pay: the National Living Wage will rise by 3.9% to £13.21 an hour from 1 April 2027. The government says there's no increase to the headline rates of income tax, National Insurance or VAT. The Budget makes permanent a higher tax-free mileage rate that it says will help care workers who drive for work. It contains no new money for adult social care. The National Care Service is to be funded in the next Parliament, and the Casey Commission will now report in 2027.https://kiwiapp.co/news/care-worker-visa-in-country-switching-2028/https://kiwiapp.co/news/care-worker-visa-in-country-switching-2028/Tue, 27 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTImmigration & sponsorshipSince 22 July 2025, care providers across the UK have not been able to sponsor new care workers or senior care workers from overseas. The rules still allow some people already in the UK to switch into, or stay in, sponsored care roles, and the current text of the Immigration Rules (last updated 8 October 2026) keeps a 22 July 2028 deadline for switchers. The government has said that date is kept under review.https://kiwiapp.co/news/casey-commission-national-care-service-free-personal-care/https://kiwiapp.co/news/casey-commission-national-care-service-free-personal-care/Tue, 27 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTLaw & policyThe independent Commission on Adult Social Care, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey, was originally due to report in two phases: 2026 and 2028. On 29 July 2026, the Prime Minister asked it to report a year early, in summer 2027. On 29 September 2026, he said a National Care Service would be set up in the next Parliament, with free personal care for older people. None of this is law yet. The detail, including cost and timing, depends on the Commission's report.https://kiwiapp.co/news/council-fees-2026-27-adass-spring-survey/https://kiwiapp.co/news/council-fees-2026-27-adass-spring-survey/Tue, 27 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTFunding & feesThe Association of Directors of Adult Social Services' (ADASS) Spring Survey 2026, published on 14 July 2026, found that councils in England overspent their 2025/26 adult social care budgets by £715 million and plan £909 million of savings in 2026/27. Council adult social care budgets rose to £25.7 billion. The average council homecare rate rose 5% to £25.05 an hour, still well below what the Homecare Association says is needed. Two-thirds of councils saw local providers close, stop trading or hand back contracts in the previous six months.https://kiwiapp.co/news/cqc-state-of-care-2025-26/https://kiwiapp.co/news/cqc-state-of-care-2025-26/Tue, 27 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTCQC & inspectionsThe Care Quality Commission (CQC) published State of Care 2025/26, its annual assessment of health and adult social care in England, on 23 October 2026. It describes an adult social care market that is changing shape quickly, with care home beds concentrating in larger homes while homecare splinters into many small providers. Almost three-quarters of social care services are rated good or outstanding, but CQC names leadership as the area most in need of improvement.https://kiwiapp.co/news/dspt-2026-27-social-care-deadline/https://kiwiapp.co/news/dspt-2026-27-social-care-deadline/Tue, 27 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTDigital & dataThe 2026-27 Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT), version 9, was published on 2 October 2026, and the deadline to submit is 30 June 2027. Social care providers complete the category 3 version, which has its own set of assertions and evidence items. Around three in four CQC-registered adult social care services had an up-to-date toolkit at the last deadline, according to figures from Digital Care Hub.https://kiwiapp.co/news/fair-pay-agreement-adult-social-care-timeline/https://kiwiapp.co/news/fair-pay-agreement-adult-social-care-timeline/Tue, 27 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTWorkforce & payThe Employment Rights Act 2025, which became law on 18 December 2025, gives ministers the power to set up a Social Care Negotiating Body for England. The government's July 2026 response to its consultation confirms who will be covered, who will negotiate, and the timetable: talks from April 2027 and a first agreement in force from April 2028, backed by £500 million.https://kiwiapp.co/news/immigration-white-paper-care-in-force-vs-proposed/https://kiwiapp.co/news/immigration-white-paper-care-in-force-vs-proposed/Tue, 27 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTImmigration & sponsorshipThe UK government's May 2025 immigration white paper, Restoring control over the immigration system, set out a long list of changes. Seventeen months on, several of the ones that matter to care employers are in force, including the higher skills threshold, a 32% rise in the Immigration Skills Charge and tougher English requirements. The biggest change for staff, a move to "earned settlement" over 10 years or more, is still a proposal: the consultation closed in February 2026 and no outcome has been published.https://kiwiapp.co/news/leder-2024-report-learning-disability-deaths/https://kiwiapp.co/news/leder-2024-report-learning-disability-deaths/Tue, 27 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTLearning disability & autismThe national Learning from Lives and Deaths (LeDeR) Report 2024, published by King's College London in July 2026, found that adults with a learning disability who died in 2024 did so at a median age of 62.8, 19 years younger than the general adult population. The share of deaths judged avoidable has fallen since 2021 but is still close to double the general population's rate. The findings point to causes that day-to-day support can influence: chest infections, heart disease and epilepsy.https://kiwiapp.co/news/mental-health-act-2025-what-is-in-force/https://kiwiapp.co/news/mental-health-act-2025-what-is-in-force/Tue, 27 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTMental healthThe Mental Health Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025, but most of it is still waiting to be switched on. A handful of sections are already in force, including one from 6 April 2026 that brings some private and independent care providers within the Human Rights Act for certain services. The government's latest stated plan, given to Parliament in July 2026, is for the first major set of reforms to start in 2028/29.https://kiwiapp.co/news/nhs-funded-nursing-care-rate-2026-27/https://kiwiapp.co/news/nhs-funded-nursing-care-rate-2026-27/Tue, 27 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTNursing homesThe NHS contribution towards the cost of registered nursing care for eligible nursing home residents in England rose by 5.4% from 1 April 2026. The standard rate went from £254.06 to £267.68 a week, and the higher rate from £349.50 to £368.24. The rates were announced on 9 March 2026, before the financial year began.https://kiwiapp.co/news/nmc-register-2026-nurse-supply-nursing-homes/https://kiwiapp.co/news/nmc-register-2026-nurse-supply-nursing-homes/Tue, 27 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTNursing homesThe Nursing and Midwifery Council's latest UK register data, for the year to 31 March 2026, shows a record 867,935 nurses, midwives and nursing associates. But growth almost halved, to 1.7%, mainly because far fewer internationally educated professionals joined. Overseas joiners fell by 47%, and UK-educated joiners also fell. For nursing homes, which have relied heavily on internationally educated nurses, the supply picture is tightening.https://kiwiapp.co/news/oliver-mcgowan-training-code-what-providers-must-do/https://kiwiapp.co/news/oliver-mcgowan-training-code-what-providers-must-do/Tue, 27 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTLearning disability & autismSince 1 July 2022, every CQC-registered health and social care provider in England has had a legal duty to make sure staff receive learning disability and autism training suited to their role. The Oliver McGowan code of practice, which became final on 6 September 2025, sets out the standards that training must meet and how CQC should take it into account. Government funding for the recommended package continues in 2026 to 2027.https://kiwiapp.co/news/php-security-alert-care-provider-websites/https://kiwiapp.co/news/php-security-alert-care-provider-websites/Tue, 27 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTDigital & dataOn 21 October 2026 the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) warned of a critical security flaw in PHP, the software that runs many websites, including those built on WordPress, Drupal and Joomla. A fix has been released. Digital Care Hub, which supports adult social care providers with data and cyber security, alerted the sector the next day and asked providers to check their websites with whoever manages them.https://kiwiapp.co/news/skills-for-care-state-of-workforce-2026/https://kiwiapp.co/news/skills-for-care-state-of-workforce-2026/Tue, 27 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTWorkforce & paySkills for Care's annual report on the adult social care workforce in England, published on 14 October 2026, shows vacancies and turnover falling. The vacancy rate is 6.2%, down from a peak of 10.4% in 2021/22. But workforce growth has slowed, international recruitment fell from 50,000 to 30,000 after the care visa route closed, and the number of British workers has dropped. The report also links better pay, guaranteed hours and experienced registered managers with lower turnover and better CQC scores.https://kiwiapp.co/news/sponsor-licence-revocation-care-workers-protection/https://kiwiapp.co/news/sponsor-licence-revocation-care-workers-protection/Tue, 27 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTImmigration & sponsorshipSince mid-September 2026, Home Office caseworkers have been told not to cancel a care worker's or senior care worker's visa when the only reason would be that their employer's sponsor licence has been revoked. The change comes as licence revocations reach a record level, and alongside a new rule, in force from 8 October 2026, that frees recognised victims of modern slavery from their sponsor.https://kiwiapp.co/news/supported-housing-licensing-draft-regulations-consultation/https://kiwiapp.co/news/supported-housing-licensing-draft-regulations-consultation/Tue, 27 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTSupported livingOn 15 October 2026 the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) published draft regulations for a new licensing regime for supported housing in England, under the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023. Councils would license organisations that control or manage supported housing, with mandatory conditions including the National Supported Housing Standards. The consultation closes at 11:59pm on 10 December 2026; the regime is still a proposal and needs parliamentary approval.https://kiwiapp.co/news/supreme-court-deprivation-of-liberty-ruling-dols/https://kiwiapp.co/news/supreme-court-deprivation-of-liberty-ruling-dols/Tue, 27 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTLaw & policyOn 2 June 2026 the UK Supreme Court held that its 2014 Cheshire West "acid test" for deprivation of liberty was incorrect, and replaced it with a broader, case-by-case assessment. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) says the change applies immediately across the UK and that many existing DoLS authorisations may no longer be needed. The long-promised Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS) have still not been brought in.https://kiwiapp.co/news/winter-vaccinations-2026-care-homes-staff/https://kiwiapp.co/news/winter-vaccinations-2026-care-homes-staff/Tue, 27 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTNursing homesThe NHS autumn COVID-19 and flu vaccination programmes in England opened for care home residents from 1 October 2026. COVID-19 vaccination is again limited to older age groups, residents of care homes for older adults, and people who are immunosuppressed. Frontline social care staff are not in the COVID-19 cohorts this year, but many remain eligible for a free NHS flu vaccine.