Agenda and minutes

Please refer to the explanatory notes below.

Mr Roy Worman submitted written questions in respect of the availability of flu vaccinations within the Borough. The Chair reported that written responses had been tabled.

Mr Worman asked a supplemental regarding the amount of flu vaccine ordered for the BSW area. The Chair responded at the meeting.

Mr Roy Worman asked how ICS system results would be monitored.  The Chair responded at the meeting.

To receive the minutes of the meeting held on 30^th June 2020.

Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting held on 30^th June 2020, be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

Sue Wald, Corporate Director of Adult Social Services, Health &

Housing, David Freeman, Chief Operating Officer CCG, Kevin

McNamara, GWH Acute and Community, David Haley,

Corporate Director Children’s Services, Kier Pritchard, Chief

Constable submitted. In introducing the report the Officers drew Members’ attention to:

·        The local context and numbers of people affected within the Borough with peaks in April and August.

·        Work undertaken by partners to reduce the infection rate in Swindon.

·        The effect of the pandemic on the Winter Plan for Social Care produced by Adult Services’ and measures to meet its requirements.

·        Integrated work being undertaken with the wider social care system by the Council and NHS.

·        An overview of the work of Public Health Team in infection control in care homes, engagement with local communities to manage outbreaks of the pandemic and to reduce the risk of infection.

·        Links locally with the national testing system.

·        The excellent engagement of the voluntary and community sectors and Parish Councils in supporting local communities and in particular members of the public shielding from the pandemic.

·        On-going recovery work to bring back on-line services.

·        Work to temporarily house the homeless community and engagement in the Government’s Next Steps Programme.

·        The lifting of the moratorium on repossession orders and work to those at risk which was currently holding the number of people presenting as homeless.

·        The current position of rent arrears for Council tenants which was stabilising.

·        The closure of a significant number of service during the first wave of the pandemic which had created a backlog of patients to be treated and work to facilitate this which was taking a significant amount of time to bring services back on-line in an effective manner in the context of social distancing and reduced capacity at the hospital.

·        Work to prepare for a second wave of the pandemic in line with national criteria and local needs and based on experience from the first wave and based upon trying not to close services unless absolutely necessary.

·        Work to develop responses on a number of scenarios based on the severity of a second wave and the testing of these scenarios over the coming weeks.

·        The focus on regular winter challenges with the possibility of reduced capacity.

·        The protection of staff in the health sector who had been working in challenging circumstances for an extended period of time.

·        The legacy on the CCG on the effects of the first wave of the pandemic with the expectation of a challenging winter.

·        The investment and re-investment in winter schemes by the CCG to increase capacity in a number of areas. These were in place earlier than expected to reflect the anticipated pressures that would be faced.

·        Work on primary care recovery, including the key element of GPs, who were often the first port of call for medical issues.

·        The use of hot hubs for the treatment of those with, or suspected of having, Covid-19 to prevent of minimise cross infection and work to be able to active these at short  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

The Board received a report setting out the application by BSW CCG for Integrated Care System (ICS) designation in November 2020 which requires BSW to submit a draft submission on the 21^stSeptember and a final submission on 12^th October (12th).  In presenting the report the officers referred to:

·         An overview of our draft submission which had been submitted to the BSW Executive on the 11^th September and the BSW Partnership Board on 18^th September for an initial review and feedback prior to submission.

·         The ambition of local authorities and the wider health care sector to move to an integrated care system partnership.

·         Resources and priorities have been increasingly aligned with resources being pooled to achieve these objectives.

·         At the moment Swindon have an aligned sustainable transformation partnership.

·         The briefing paper setting out the Integrated Care System, what it means for local authorities and partnership working across Swindon and the BSW area.

·         The submission setting out the local context, priorities, ambitions and common challenges for partners.

·         The joint role of primary and integrated care in health provision through partnership working and the joint use of technology and resources.

·         Positive feedback to the initial submissions and consultation.

·         The priority of the statutory role of the Health and Wellbeing Board, local planning and needs of the local population.

Following the presentation Members discussed the following issues:

·         The importance of partnership working and the role and pressures on the voluntary sector in supporting health work, especially during the pandemic and loss of fund raising ability.

·         The improvement in the ability to fund projects across partners, including the voluntary/3^rd sector under an integrated care system.

·         The deadline for submissions under the consultation process.

Resolved – That the report be noted.

(Oral)

The Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable made a presentation to the Board in respect of the impact of Covid-19 on Mental Health Services and on Winter Planning highlighting:

·        Covid-19 has had a significant impact on communities and services alike. It has led to new and emerging pressures placing increasing demands on services.

·        Anticipated increases in the demand for mental health services resulting from Covid-19 and pressures on the police service.

·        The harm on communities resulting from lock-down and a rise in crime following a reduction during the lock-down period (although crimes from people suffering mental health issues rose 3%).

·        Section 136 arrests increased by 22% (144) during March - July compared to 2019 (118).

·        There were more people presenting with psychosis during lockdown than normally expected suggesting an increased level of acuity in mental ill health. Typically, each month 75% of all Section 136 detentions involve those displaying suicidal ideation, the remainder showing signs of psychosis.

·        The issue of suspected suicides in Swindon and Wiltshire many of which had suspected links to the Covid lock-down.

·        The use of the Swindon and Wiltshire Place of Safety (Bluebell) in Devizes during the Covid period with the positive news no-one arrested under Section 136 powers had to be detained in a police cell, although the capacity of bluebell had been under strain during this period due to its use by people from outside Swindon and Wiltshire. 

·        The Bluebell unit had to be closed for two weeks in August as it reached occupational capacity with units in emergency health departments being used.

·        The potential issues facing police in the near future with possible recessionary pressures and how these might be mitigated.

·        The future pressures on the health service of Covid demand, winter demand and a general increase in demand for other services with referrals approaching pre-Covid levels and partnership working to address these pressures; including early intervention and prevention.

·        An increase in work related to child and parental issues arising from lock-down.

·        How people at risk could be better identified and appropriate treatment provided.

·        Anticipated demand of around 30% in a number of mental health areas over the next five years and how services can be supported.

·        The timetable for reviewing mental health services and impact on service provision and for sharing lessons learnt.

·        The type of pressures currently increasing demand for mental health services.

·        On-going work being proactively supported across the partnership to monitor work, understand current models and create a sustainable model of service delivery including new personality disorder and early intervention streams.

·        Work to support people with mental health needs in the community and the use of 24/7 helplines to prevent admissions where possible and to create a local offer for people in crisis.

·        The alignment of children care and early intervention work as part of a partnership approach.

·        The expansion of mental health support in Bristol to help reduce their use of the Bluebell facility.

·        The Time to Change Swindon campaign which will combine the insights of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

Resolved - That the minutes of the Joint Commissioning Group meeting held on 28^th April, 23^rd June and 21^st July 2020 be noted.