Heat-health alert for East of England

A red heat-health warning has been issued by the UKHSA. The warning is in effect from the morning of 24 June 2026 through to the night of 25 Jun 2026. Please ensure you keep up to date with weather reports reports and plan accordingly.

The Supreme Court's judgment on deprivation of liberty

You may be aware that the Supreme Court has recently issued a judgment which significantly changes the legal approach to determining whether a person is deprived of their liberty. The judgement can be seen here A Reference by the Attorney General for Northern Ireland of a devolution issue under paragraph 34 o….

We would encourage you to familiarise yourselves with the judgment and carefully consider the implications for your services and practice. Please see the following links for further information: CQC statement on the Supreme Court's judgment on deprivation of liberty - Care Quality Commission and 2026-UKSC-16-Summary-for-website.pdf.

We ask that you refer to this updated position when making any new referrals to the DoLS team.  In addition, as the change came into effect immediately from 2 June, please review any recent DoLS referrals you have made. You should consider whether, in light of this revised approach, any of these referrals may no longer be appropriate.

We hope this offers reassurance whilst we wait for additional National guidance to be disseminated.  At this stage we don’t have further information, but if you have a specific query, you can contact the MCA DoLS Duty Team at Dolforms@essex.gov.uk

Essex County Council - Provider Hub
Text size:

PROSPER is all about the prevention of falls, UTIs and pressure ulcers, once you have analysed your data and decided upon the area you want to focus on for improvement, you should set a SMART aim. 

SMART Aim should be;  

Specific, so everyone knows what the aim is and what their responsibilities are in helping to achieve the aim.

Measurable, so you can see if you are being successful in achieving your aim, the PROSPER monthly mapping tool and using safety crosses in your home will help with measuring.

Achievable, although your target should be stretching, it should also be something that can be achieved; otherwise staff will not 'buy in' to it.

Realistic and Relevant, don't set yourself up to fail, and ensure your aim is relevant to your organisation and other stakeholders.

Time bound, so there is a definite time by which you are attempting to achieve your aim.

By setting a SMART aim, everyone connected with your service can know what you are currently focussing on and play a part in trying to achieve it. If your aim is not SMART, people are less likely to engage.

Remember, even if you do not achieve your aim, you will still be gaining valuable information, which will aid future projects.

Good SMART Aim:

We will reduce the number of residents being treated for a UTI by 40% by the end of August 2025

Not a good SMART Aim

We will try and reduce the number of residents being treated for a UTI

We have created a poster for you to display in your home stating what current SMART aim you are working towards. 

Click the image above to open the Prosper SMART Aim poster.

Last updated: 10/09/2025