The Committee will be given an update in respect of the Council’s response to Covid-19, including looking forward to 2021.
Contact:
Emily Parry-Harries, Head of Public Health
Jane O’Donnell, Head of Health Protection
Minutes:
Rachel Spencer-Henshall, Director of Public Health and Strategic Director – Corporate Strategy, Commissioning and Public Health; Emily Parry-Harries, Head of Public Health and Jane O’Donnell, Head of Health Protection attended the meeting to provide an update for the Committee in respect of the Council’s response to Covid-19, including a look forward to the first half of 2021.
Rachel began by acknowledging that the present situation was unprecedented; it had proved to be challenging for the Council and its partners and a robust test of the ambitions in terms of place-based working. She explained that the Council and its partners had worked together extremely well and this had enhanced their ability to manage the effects of the pandemic and respond to the needs of the district’s residents.
It was anticipated that the next six months would provide continued challenges in: keeping the rate of infection down; facilitating community testing; increasing coverage of contact tracing; providing financial and welfare support for people in self isolation; managing any outbreaks; and supporting the NHS in rolling out the vaccination programme. It was recognised that a key element would be the provision of the necessary resources to do this whilst ensuring that vital services continued to be delivered.
The Kirklees Outbreak Control Board, a cross-party body, had responsibility for overseeing the Outbreak Control Plan which had been published online.
Questions and comments were invited from Committee Members and the following key issues were covered during discussion:
· Lateral flow testing provided results in 30 minutes and thus had the advantage of self-isolation being immediate in cases of a positive result; it was also effective in identifying people with a high viral load, even if they were asymptomatic, so that they could self-isolate and reduce the risk of transmission.
· In terms of capacity to undertake the lateral flow testing and targeting particular groups or areas; lessons were being learned from the community testing pilot undertaken in Liverpool and the detail of the offer to Kirklees was still under consideration. Engagement with communities around testing and what support they might need in terms of self-isolation and contact tracing was an important element of the approach. The most vulnerable members of the population would be prioritised.
· The provision of testing/vaccination to large numbers of residents offered an opportunity to disseminate information to them on other issues such as employment support, benefits, debt advice, mental health support and investment into the local economy, although it was recognised that there would be a need for these services to be ready to be able to deal with the increase in demand this might create.
· The inevitable increase in demand for certain services and how this could be addressed was being considered as an integral part of the ongoing recovery planning work.
· In respect of recovery; it was important for community morale that there was visible positive change such as the physical improvements to town centres.
· The level of inequality throughout the district had been brought into focus by the impact of the pandemic. In October 2020 the Council had approved the establishment of an Inequalities Commission and a number of key priority actions to address this issue in the short term, such as re-framing NHS health checks and tailoring services to people who were disproportionately affected. Work was being undertaken with partners to ensure that addressing inequality became embedded.
· There had been a significant impact on local businesses, particularly in the hospitality and retail sectors and consideration should be given to whether there was a need to review the economic strategy in light of this.
· Cabinet were considering proposals in relation to discretionary grant assistance available to support Kirklees businesses.
· There needed to be a balance between reacting to/dealing with the immediate problems for individuals and moving towards a longer-term, sustainable approach.
· The Children’s Scrutiny Panel maintained an overview of the outcomes for the district’s young people. There would be significant impacts on the current generation and there needed to be strong engagement with the Department for Education in respect of addressing the improvement of educational outcomes over a longer term.
· The Council’s Recovery Plan was being reviewed to ensure that it remained fit for purpose for the next six months.
· The Inequalities Commission would determine its own areas of focus. It would be provided with a comprehensive summary of intelligence across five key themes and it was considered that social inclusion and its impacts should be included within the theme of health.
· Significant support was being made available to support the wellbeing of staff and community volunteers. There was a comprehensive employee healthcare offer and regular wellbeing sessions were taking place and staff surveys undertaken to assess how people were. The dedication and commitment of staff was recognised and they were being encouraged to take leave. Best practice on wellbeing was being shared with partners. Regular team meetings and people feeling comfortable to talk about and share their experiences were very important.
· There were a number of valuable community anchor organisations and it was important that the sustainability and funding of these organisations was considered and that they were trusted to undertake their roles as part of the place based approach.
RESOLVED –
(1) That the Committee expresses its thanks to everyone for their hard work during the pandemic, despite the significant challenges, and for their continued commitment as we move forward into 2021.
(2) That the Scrutiny Panels ensure that inequalities impact is considered in all elements of their work, to help ensure that addressing inequality becomes embedded as a priority across the organisation.
(3) That consideration be given to: the opportunity provided by the implementation of mass community testing and vaccination to disseminate information, in relation to support services, to a wider audience; and any measures that might be needed to ensure that these services are able to deal with any additional demand.