The Committee received a presentation from
Nigel Minns, Strategic Director. The presentation gave an overview
of the current position on Covid-19 in Warwickshire. The
presentation included slides on the following areas:
- Graphs showing the cumulative
numbers of cases for both Warwickshire and the area covered by the
West Midlands Combined Authority. It also provided data on the
positive test results for each area. Context that the data earlier
in the pandemic did not include community testing and this would
have increased significantly the reported case numbers.
- The cumulative and seven-day rates
in terms of positive cases per 100,000 tests, broken down by
district and borough area. Case numbers in Rugby and the increasing
numbers in the Nuneaton and Bedworth area were referenced
particularly.
- Outbreak management, including the
outbreak control plan and test and trace activity.
- The Covid-19 recovery survey, which
had received some 2,350 responses to date.
- There were currently eighteen
Covid-19 patients in hospitals in Coventry and Warwickshire, with
four being in intensive care. This was significantly higher than
recent weeks but was not at the levels seen earlier in the
year.
Questions and comments were submitted, with
responses provided as indicated:
- An update was sought on a specific outbreak which
could be provided outside the meeting.
- Reference to the new NHS Covid-19 mobile telephone
application, its take up and how it would integrate to the current
work of public Health and other agencies. This would be provided
for the committee via a briefing note.
- In regard to patients requiring
intensive care in hospital it was understood that this tended to be
older people or those with underlying health conditions.
- Praise for the local contact tracing
work in Rugby. Further case studies would be useful, both for
members and the public. It was confirmed that the team undertook
segmentation of location and people, to enable targeted activity. A
similar approach was planned for the Nuneaton and Bedworth
area.
- Covid-19 cases at universities was
raised. There had been media coverage about student parties. A
concern was students with Covid returning to university, including
those from abroad. Whilst they may not require medical support
themselves, they could infect others who would. It was confirmed
that the University of Warwick (UoW)was conducting its own testing
and it did attract foreign students from a broad geographic area,
where the Coventry University students tended to be more local. The
UoW was engaged in the strategic meetings and activity, which
provided a helpful two-way dialogue.
- It would be useful to have data on the numbers of
people tested each day. This suggestion would be investigated as
information was received from several sources and it was a question
of if the data could be aligned into a single daily report. The
member suggested a list of where the mobile testing stations had
been located each day to provide a context. It was noted that
outbreaks also caused a spike in testing in that locality.
- A question about potential death
rates and whether they were expected to be on the same trajectory
as during the first wave of the pandemic. The indications were that
mortality rates would be less for a number of reasons, including
NHS learning, better treatment, better protection for care homes
and no discharge of Covid-19 positive patients back to care
homes.
- The Chair confirmed that Covid-19
would be a standing item on the agenda and he asked that thanks be
passed to officers for their ongoing work.
The second part of the item concerned Adult
Social Care and Public Health recovery. A presentation was provided
by Becky Hale which covered the following areas:
- Still Responding and
Planning……
- Monitoring and responding to
positive cases.
- NHS Phase 3 – Organisational
and System Winter Plans
- Adult Social Care Winter Plan
- Surge Planning – Discharge
Capacity
- Infection Control Funding
- Market Support
- Coventry and Warwickshire Care
Expert Advisory Group
- Council Recovery Priorities –
Health and Care
- Priority 1 Contain the virus and
promote physical and mental health and wellbeing
- Priority 2 Maintain resilient and
sustainable services
- Priority 3 Helping our children and
young people to catch up on their education (with education)
- Priority 4 Harness the power of our
communities to tackle inequality and exclusion (with
communities)
- People Recovery Programme
- Investment Fund Bids
- Recovery Update – Public
Health
- Recovery Update – Adult Social
Care Delivery
- Recovery Update – People
Strategy & Commissioning
Further questions and comments from
members:
- Community health checks were planned, including
targeted visits to communities using the Coventry and Warwickshire
Mind bus. It was agreed that the schedule of visits would be
circulated to the committee.
- There was increasing evidence that
recovery from Covid-19 could take up to 6 months, with an impact on
mental health too. Public Health were looking at the rehabilitation
needs of patients recovering from Covid-19 and implications in
terms of the support offer. Further updates could be provided as
this work progressed.
- A question which concerned the
subsequent performance report on the percentage of placements in
care homes rated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as good or
outstanding. The data seemed to have stalled. The CQC had suspended
inspections due to the pandemic, but it was questioned if there
were further issues which required a close focus. Specific work was
being undertaken to understand contributing factors, one of which
would be the lack of follow up inspections, but there may be
others. An assurance that there had been a continued focus on
quality where there were concerns. The member asked if this was a
general issue or was it affecting certain geographies. Officers
would be compiling detailed data, to enable targeted work.
- A comment via the chat
dialogue that long Covid was becoming a recognised condition,
exacerbated by isolation and mental ill health.
- A question regarding unmet demands
for people needing to move into care placements, data on this area
and interim arrangements. It wasn’t considered that there was
a backlog of people needing to go into care. The data was
consistent with that prior to the pandemic and residential
placements had continued. There was likely to be additional work in
relation to continuing healthcare applications, which had been
suspended as part of the Covid response.
- Discussions with the care market supported this.
There was ongoing research to look at aspects for those eligible
for support from health or social care as well as self-funded
placements. There was also national research via ADASS on the care
home market, its position and potential future market, which the
county council was actively engaged in. It was requested that this
information be provided to members once received.
Resolved
That the Committee notes the presentation.