Agenda item

The Board considered a joint report of the Leicester and Leicestershire Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), the Director of Adults and Communities and the Director of Public Health which detailed the impact of the coronavirus pandemic within the County and the initial response of the local care system. Members also considered a presentation of the Director of Public Health concerning data relating to the local lockdown. A copy of the report and presentation marked ‘Agenda Item 9’, is filed with these minutes.

 

Impact on the County and the initial response

 

Arising from discussion the following points were noted:

 

·       The response to the pandemic had required the various NHS organisations, local partners and local government to work closely together as part of a partnership based approach. This successful approach had helped to manage the pressures within the local system and ensure that capacity was not exceeded.

 

·       The pandemic had placed considerable pressure on the social care provider market, with a significant number of outbreaks having been recorded in the County’s care homes. The situation had now vastly improved. It was noted that initial issues concerning the availability of personal protection equipment and staff capacity had been quickly resolved.

 

·       The County Council had worked closely with district councils to develop and deliver the local Shielding Vulnerable People Scheme to help support over 14,000 people within the County who had been identified as requiring additional help. It was noted that whilst the scheme would close for new registrations on the 17 July, the Council would continue to assist newly identified individuals who required support. This included those in the local lockdown area.

 

·       The recovery process would be considerable and complicated and both the NHS and County Council had produced initial plans setting out how this work would be undertaken. These plans would build on the recent progress made in relation to the modernisation of care delivery and the significant improvements to partnership working. Recovery work would include consideration of how services which were currently paused, such as community and day services, could be re-established and how the significant number of elected medical procedures which had been postponed during the peak of the pandemic, would be delivered.

 

·       In partnership with health providers and district councils, the County Council had developed a Local Outbreak Plan which would enable agencies in Leicestershire to prevent, manage, reduce and suppress outbreaks of coronavirus infection across the County. The Plan covered the approach to managing outbreaks in a range of settings, including schools. The Plan would continue to be updated, particularly in light of the recent local lockdown.

 

·       In reference to the local lockdown, the two elected members representing the district councils expressed the need for regular communication and engagement between the County and district councils

 

·       The arrangements for testing residents living within the county areas under local lockdown were continually developing. The Council would soon be publishing further guidance which would include the provision for testing both symptomatic and asymptomatic residents in some areas within the county lockdown zone.

 

·       The Board expressed its thanks to all those who had helped manage and deliver the initial resilience response and the ongoing recovery work.

 

Local Lockdown data

 

The Director of Public Health presented to the Board a summary of data in relation to coronavirus cases in Leicestershire.

 

The Director said that the latest data indicated that whilst the numbers of coronavirus cases within the county areas included in the local lockdown were still considerably higher than the overall County average, the numbers had begun to stabilise.

 

In response to questions from members, the Director said that whilst the inclusion of certain County areas in national comparative tables could be attributed to the increase in testing, the positivity rate remained significantly higher than the national average and there was no room for complacency amongst the local population.

 

RESOLVED:

 

a)    That the impact of Covid-19 on Leicestershire’s health and social care sector be noted;

 

b)    That the Local Outbreak and Control Plan for Leicestershire be noted;

 

c)     That the current situation in the protected zone of Leicester City and parts of Leicestershire be noted.