Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed all those present to the meeting and invited all attendees to introduce themselves.

There were no declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests and personal or personal and prejudicial interests.

Resolved - That the minutes of the meeting of the Health and Wellbeing Board, held on 18 January 2021, be approved as a correct record.

The Director: Governance and Partnerships confirmed that the Forward Plan was up to date, and that all forthcoming actions were timetabled.

Resolved – That the situation be noted.  

There were no questions from members of the public.

The Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director: Commercial, and the Director of Public Health submitted a report and presentation on progress against eachof theseven themes in the NorthLincolnshire Outbreak Prevention& ManagementPlan.  It was confirmed that the 7-day rolling average was being monitored closely, and that a system-wide approach to targeted testing was now becoming embedded across North Lincolnshire, with high COVID-19 vaccination take-up rates across the priority cohorts.  

The update confirmed that all local authorities had been required to update their Local Outbreak Management Plans (LOMP).  In line with this requirement, North Lincolnshire LOMP had been refreshed to include:

·       Updated priorities

·       Examples of best practice

·       Current issues and risks

·       Revise success measure and performance metrics

·       Revised outcomes

A summary ofthe progress madeto dateagainst eachof thekey themes in the North Lincolnshire Local Outbreak Management Plan was given.

Resolved - That the Health and Wellbeing Board note the Outbreak Prevention and Management activity as outlined in the report.

The Director of Public Health delivered a detailed presentation on the COVID-19 epidemiological situation in North Lincolnshire.  This included the total number of recorded cases, the current R Value for Yorkshire & the Humber, the rolling 7-Day Case Rate, and the total number of vaccinations given.

Resolved – That the Health and Wellbeing Board note the presentation.

The Chief Operating Officer, North Lincolnshire CCG, submitted a report updating the Health and Wellbeing Board on the latest position of the Covid-19 Vaccination Programme.  The report highlighted the sources of data that had informed the briefing.

The Chief Operating Officer confirmed that Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) Cohort 8 and Cohort 6 were active, with those aged 56-59 and those aged 16-59 with an underlying health condition now eligible for a vaccination, and that more than 18M people had received at least one vaccination. It was anticipated that supply would be greatly increased in the coming weeks, enabling a marked increase in capacity at the large vaccination centres in the region.  This would enable the system to being to widen to other cohorts, as guided by JCVI. 

The Chief Operation Officer confirmed that a large vaccination centre was due to open imminently, based at the Baths Hall, Scunthorpe.  This specialist facility would operate from 8am-8pm, 7 days a week, and would initially deliver 500 vaccinations a day, rising to 1,000 a day in the coming weeks.

The Chief Operating Officer gave further information regarding unpaid carers, text alerts, and ongoing work to engage with hard to reach groups, before listing a number of key stakeholder messages on the vaccine programme.

The Board discussed the report further, highlighting the excellent ongoing work in North Lincolnshire.  Board members asked a number of questions on issues such as the impact of COVID-19 on local hospitals, ongoing communication to residents, efforts to tackle inequalities, and the key work undertaken by the Primary Care Networks, in collaboration with partners.

Resolved - That the Health and Wellbeing Board note the contents of the Vaccination Programme report.

The Director: Children & Community Resilience submitted a report updating the Health and Wellbeing Board regarding the progress and developments under the auspices of the Integrated Children’s Trust, and asking the Board to note the progress to date and support the ongoing developments.

Resolved – That the Health and Wellbeing Board note the progress of the Integrated Children’s Trust, supports the areas for further development, and endorses their ongoing commitment towards integration and partnership action towards local commissioning intents, including the implementation of the One Family Approach.

The Director: Children & Community Resilience submitted a progress report in relation to the COVID-19 Winter Grant Scheme.  The report set out that the local delivery model had included the direct provision of food vouchers to vulnerable families and households over the Christmas and half-term breaks, and the implementation of a welfare assistance grant process.

It was confirmed that the Scheme has seen high demand, reflecting the impact of the pandemic upon families in North Lincolnshire.  Funding for the Scheme had been on track to be spent by the end of March as planned, with a further funding package of £185,145 to cover the Easter holiday period up until 16 April 2021 confirmed by the Government.

Resolved – That the Health and Wellbeing Board note the content of the report pertaining to the delivery of the Covid Winter Grant Scheme

The Director: Adults & Community Wellbeing and the Chief Operating Officer, North Lincolnshire CCG, submitted a joint report requesting that the Health and Wellbeing Board note the progress to date and the updated priorities for the Health and Care Integration Plan 2021.

The Health and Care Integration Plan 2019 - 24 was approved for publication by the Health and Wellbeing Board on 25 June 2019.  The plan was set in the context of the Health and Wellbeing Board’s responsibility to promote joint working and demonstrate how we  focus on transforming the lives of people in North Lincolnshire through developing a ‘Sustainable, Enabling, Integrated Health & Social Care System’ that empowers our local population, provides opportunities to develop relationships across communities, promoting self-help.

The report set out that the plan was structured around the four strategic principles: Enabling Self Care, Care Closer to Home, Right Care Right Place and Best Use of Resources. Significant progress had been made over the last eighteen months, most notably demonstrated by a range of partners working together in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. People had been deployed differently to take on new roles to contribute to the emergency response within acute, community and social care settings.

The report set out a number of highlights, including:

Ø  A ‘community first’ approach was applied, putting the person at the heart of everything we do. In addition to providing information, advice, and guidance, connecting more vulnerable residents and families to direct support from within their community.

Ø  A new ‘Welcome Home’ service to support people leaving hospital had been developed with the voluntary sector to ensure people returning have everything they need at home.

Ø  A single point of access for community health and social care had been agreed which provides the public and professionals a single contact point for advice and support.

Ø  A dedicated GP had been established to support an urgent response to people in crisis in their own homes alongside community health and social care resulting in a reduction in avoidable hospital admissions and A&E attendances.

Ø  The Urgent Treatment Centre at Scunthorpe General Hospital, providing urgent care without the need to attend A&E, was implemented.

Ø  Focused exercises focusing on hospital discharge process had been undertaken and changes made to enable people to leave hospital at the right time and support them to remain in their own homes.

Ø  A joint approach to supporting frail and elderly residents had been developed which will enable a pro-active approach to supporting people living with long term health and support needs.

Ø  The Primary Care Networks, covering North Lincolnshire, were now well established and had been pivotal in delivering the vaccination programme.

Ø  The vaccination program for COVID-19 had a high uptake locally with all groups offered the vaccine within timescales.

Ø  The mental health community model had been developed, providing support to people with mental ill health closer to their homes and communities.

Ø  A draft strategy had been developed for palliative  ...  view the full minutes text for item 374.

The Director: Adults and Community Wellbeing tabled a report asking the Health and Wellbeing Board to note progress and achievements in relation to the Adult Social care Winter Plan.

The Department for Health and Social Care had published a policy paper ‘Adult Social Care: Our COVID-19 Winter Plan 2019 – 2021’ which set the context to the approach in North Lincolnshire; ensuring the recommendations were incorporated into existing integration plans.  This had been approved by the Health and Wellbeing Board on 16 November 2020 (minute 335 refers).

This winter particularly, continued to place unique pressures on the health and care system with COVID-19 and other winter related problems. These pressures created capacity risks to the health and wellbeing of both individuals who need care and support and the social care workforce, including family carers and social care providers.  Local partners continued to work closely together to protect the most vulnerable and keep residents safe and well over this period.

The Winter Plan covered four themes:

·        Preventing and controlling the spread of infection in care settings.

·        Collaboration across health and care services.

·        Supporting people who receive social care, carers and the workforce.

·        Supporting the system. 

All of the required actions had been implemented with assurance provided through monthly reporting. A range of highlights were listed in the report.

Resolved – That the Health and Wellbeing Board note the progress and achievements in relation to the actions identified in the Winter Plan.

The Director: Governance & Partnerships confirmed that the Board’s next meeting date would be communicated to all Board members in due course.

Resolved – That the situation be noted.