Minutes:
Sue Noyes, UHCW, addressed the meeting and advised that the hospital were operating a ‘full capacity protocol’ as of that morning. Time had been spent looking at creating more temporary beds and were looking to avoid anyone receiving corridor care. The short stay unit had been very busy that week, managing 18 discharges the previous day whilst trying to manage privacy, dignity and sleep pattern which had been highlighted in a recent survey. UHCW were in receipt of a weekly report from NHS England for the Midlands and were currently in the middle of the pack for ambulance handovers, averaging 51 minutes timeframes, an improvement on the previous week. Ms Noyes concluded by advising that although the service was under pressure, it was not quite as busy as it had been after Christmas.
Diane Whitfield, Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust, advised they had experienced significant bed pressures in November and December. This remained challenging but staff were managing the flow appropriately, including via the use of step-down accommodation. Additional support was being sought for adults in care homes and acute settings. The children’s directorate was proving particularly challenging with month on month increases. The highest demand was impacting on waits within CAMHS and neurodiverse development services. Although the Trust had been relieved to hear of the recent Government commitment to retain the Mental Health investment standard. Ms Whitfield was pleased to report that the Trust had no out of area placements for over six months, which was very good news.
The Chair noted that there were no representatives from South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust or George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust to provide updates.
Becky Hale, Executive Director for Social Care and Health, addressed the meeting stating that, linked to the NHS pressures, there was a lot of demand in Adult Social Care. There had been good partner engagement throughout December and January, with a lot of discharges taking place on a day-to-day basis. Community services were equally busy with an increased growth of those needing support. Becky Hale recognised the amount of good joint working taking place to move through pressures, with staff continuing to push through. There was a hope that some of the pressures would settled over the next few weeks.
Shade Agboola, Director of Public Health, advised that there had been an increase in the prevalence of flu, nationally as well as within Warwickshire. This was being referred to as a ‘quad-demic’ as it included flu, Covid-19, respiratory virus and norovirus. She reported that the vaccine uptake had not been great despite the campaign launched last October and provided statistics of vaccine uptake from various groups. Shade Agboola highlighted that there had been a decrease in vaccination uptake within staff groups. Promotional communications were repeated in December and January, via numerous channels. In relation to the Smoke Free Generation Grant, additional funding to progress had been received and outcomes were recording real progress. A new website had been launched, resulting in an increase in referrals and evidence showed there was a decrease in the number of pregnant women smoking at the time of delivery. Shade Agboola praised staff for their work and was delighted that the Council was able to take credit for the achievements so far. The next area of focus would be tackling the prevalence of vaping.
Following a query from Councillor Bell, Shade Agboola confirmed that the decline in uptake of the flu vaccine by staff included those working in a health setting.
Councillor Bell thanked all those who had attended the Development Session in November, a summary of which was included later on the agenda. The next development session would be held in March and the aim was to look at the recommissioning of the CAMHS service.