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Agenda and minutes

Venue: Virtual meeting Note: This meeting can be viewed at http://www.westberks.gov.uk/hwbblive

Contact: Gordon Oliver 

Note: This meeting can be viewed at www.westberks.gov.uk/hwbblive 

Items
No. Item

91.

Election of Chairman

To elect the Chairman of the Health and Wellbeing Board for the 2020/21 Municipal Year.

Minutes:

RESOLVED that Councillor Howard Woollaston be elected Chairman of the Health and Wellbeing Board for the 2020/21 Municipal Year.

92.

Election of Vice-Chairman

To appoint the Vice-Chairman of the Health and Wellbeing Board for the 2020/21 Municipal Year.

Minutes:

RESOLVED that Dr Bal Bahia be appointed Vice-Chairman for the 2020/21 Municipal Year.

93.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 132 KB

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting of the Board held on 30 January 2020.

Minutes:

The Minutes of the meeting held on 31 January 2020 were approved as a true and correct record and signed by the Leader.

94.

Actions arising from previous meeting(s) pdf icon PDF 83 KB

To consider outstanding actions from previous meeting(s).

Minutes:

Items 137, 140, 141 and 142 were either completed or in hand and could therefore be removed from the list of actions.

 

Matt Pearce stated that item 143 was on-going and on hold due to COVID-19.

 

Dr Bal Bahia noted that item 144 was on-going.

95.

Declarations of Interest

To remind Members of the need to record the existence and nature of any personal, disclosable pecuniary or other registrable interests in items on the agenda, in accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct.

Minutes:

Councillor Steve Masters declared an interest in Agenda Item 9, but reported that, as his interest was a personal or an other registrable interest, but not a disclosable pecuniary interest, he determined to remain to take part in the debate and vote on the matter.

 

Councillor Martha Vickers declared an interest in Agenda Item 9, but reported that, as his interest was a personal or an other registrable interest, but not a disclosable pecuniary interest, he determined to remain to take part in the debate and vote on the matter.

 

Andrew Sharp declared an interest in Agenda Item 9, but reported that, as his interest was a personal or an other registrable interest, but not a disclosable pecuniary interest, he determined to remain to take part in the debate and vote on the matter.

 

Dr Bal Bahia declared an interest in Agenda Item 9, but reported that, as his interest was a personal or an other registrable interest, but not a disclosable pecuniary interest, he determined to remain to take part in the debate and vote on the matter.        

96.

Public Questions

Members of the Executive to answer questions submitted by members of the public in accordance with the Executive Procedure Rules contained in the Council’s Constitution. (Note: There were no questions submitted relating to items not included on this Agenda.)

 

(a)             Questions submitted to the Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care by Mrs Alex Osterritter from the West Berkshire Learning Disability Partnership Board:

i)       “Does the Health and Wellbeing Board know how many adults with learning difficulties are currently placed out of area?”

 

ii)     “When were services supporting West Berkshire residents who are placed out of our area last visited, or when did the Care Quality and Safeguarding function last receive intelligence to provide assurances that they are of good quality?”

 

iii)    “With no Care Quality Commission visits being able to take place due to Covid19, how can the Health and Wellbeing Board be assured that those placed out of area are in homes where there is sufficient Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and resources to keep them safe, well and not restricted of their liberty any more than absolutely necessary?”

 

(b)

Questions submitted to the Portfolio Holder for Public Health and Community Wellbeing by Ms Julie Wintrup:

i)       Following Michael Gove’s announcement on Sunday 17 May 2020 that 17,200 contact tracers had been employed and trained across the UK can the Board confirm how many of those are being employed in West Berkshire?

 

ii)     Who is employing and training these trainers to contact trace?

 

iii)    When will the tracers start working?

 

iv)    Is the Board confident that West Berkshire's Public Health team is currently adequately resourced and capable of providing the highest standard of testing, contact tracing (including for example signing into workplaces and other venues), and ensuring that effective isolation is maintained? 

 

v)     Is the Board confident that West Berkshire is adequately staffed to support the current and forthcoming needs of its citizens?

 

(c)

Questions submitted to the Portfolio Holder for Public Health and Community Wellbeing by Ms Caroline Ffrench Blake:

i)       Does the Council consider it is too early for post COVID planning in the area of ongoing health and wellbeing for Newbury town centre residents?

 

Minutes:

 

Members of the Executive to answer questions submitted by members of the public in accordance with the Executive Procedure Rules contained in the Council’s Constitution

 

A full transcription of the public and Member question and answer sessions is available from the following link:

 

http://decisionmaking.westberks.gov.uk/documents/b18689/Questions%20and%20Answers%2021st-May-2020%2009.30%20Health%20and%20Wellbeing%20Board.pdf?T=9

 

 

(a)  Questions submitted to the Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care by Mrs Alex Osterritter from the West Berkshire Learning Disability Partnership Board:

i)             A question standing in the name of Mrs Alex Osterritter asking whether the Health and Wellbeing Board was aware of how many adults with learning difficulties were currently placed out of area received a written answer from the Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care received a written answer from the Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care.

 

ii)            A question standing in the name of Mrs Alex Osterritter asking when were services supporting West Berkshire residents who are placed out of our area last visited, or when did the Care Quality and Safeguarding function last receive intelligence to provide assurances that they are of good quality received a written answer from the Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care.

 

iii)           A question standing in the name of Mrs Alex Osterritter asking with no Care Quality Commission visits being able to take place due to Covid19, how can the Health and Wellbeing Board be assured that those placed out of area are in homes where there is sufficient Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and resources to keep them safe, well and not restricted of their liberty any more than absolutely necessary received a written answer from the Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care.

 

 

 

(b)

Questions submitted to the Portfolio Holder for Public Health and Community Wellbeing by Ms Julie Wintrup:

i)             A question standing in the name of Ms Julie Wintrup asking following Michael Gove’s announcement on Sunday 17 May 2020 that 17,200 contact tracers had been employed and trained across the UK can the Board confirm how many of those are being employed in West Berkshire received a written answer from the Portfolio Holder for Public Health and Community Wellbeing.

 

ii)            A question standing in the name of Ms Julie Wintrup asking who is employing and training these trainers to contact trace received a written answer from the Portfolio Holder for Public Health and Community Wellbeing.

 

iii)           A question standing in the name of Ms Julie Wintrup asking when will the tracers start working received a written answer from the Portfolio Holder for Public Health and Community Wellbeing.

 

iv)           A question standing in the name of Ms Julie Wintrup asking Is the Board confident that West Berkshire's Public Health team is currently adequately resourced and capable of providing the highest standard of testing, contact tracing (including for example signing into workplaces and other venues), and ensuring that effective isolation is maintained received a written answer from the Portfolio Holder for Public Health and Community Wellbeing.

 

v)            A question standing in the name of Ms Julie Wintrup asking is the Board  ...  view the full minutes text for item 96.

97.

Petitions

Councillors or Members of the public may present any petition which they have received. These will normally be referred to the appropriate Committee without discussion.

Minutes:

There were no petitions presented to note.

 

98.

Covid-19 Review

·       Covid-19 response in West Berkshire and public health implications

·       Primary healthcare provision now and going forward

·       Adult Social Care, including care homes and domiciliary care

·       Wider healthcare system implications and response

·       Looked-after children and schools

·       Housing services and rough sleepers

Recovery plans

Minutes:

Matt Pearce provided an update to the board on the response from West Berkshire Council and the public health implications of COVID-19. He stated that as of 18th May 2020 the data suggested that in West Berkshire 361 people had tested positive for COVID-19, which equated to 227.7 cases per 100,000. This was lower than the national rate. He further noted that deaths from COVID were 118 as of 8 May 2020, however it was likely that there may be more than this. Also as of 18 May 2020 there were 52 people in hospital with COVID, 60 in care homes and 5 at home. He noted that a third of care homes in West Berkshire experienced an outbreak as of 14 May, which equated to a 34% increase in deaths over a 5 year period. He further stated that in the period 1st March - 8 May, deaths by location saw Hungerford with the highest rate in the district region and Chieveley had no deaths. He further stated that COVID in care homes was still an ongoing issue in West Berkshire and that it was around the average for the south east in terms of number of deaths. He highlighted a number of risk factors, such as age, gender (women may have better immune response), dementia, diabetes, ethnicity (BAME groups four times more likely to die from COVID-19, with public health England undertaking a review into these figures). He stated that the data showed that these groups were more likely to have hypertension, diabetes and the fact that they tend to do more essential work. He stated that he would report back to the board when these findings were confirmed nationally. Furthermore, he noted that the data showed that deaths from COVID-19 were higher in poorer communities. However, the chances of dying from COVID-19 were still relatively low and that even if there was no vaccine, a high proportion of people may not get it, whereas 15%-30% will asymptomatic, and of those who do get it around 80% will have mild or moderate symptoms.

 

Matt Pearce then moved on to describe how West Berkshire had responded to COVID-19. He stated that the community support hub had been set up and through a collective effort. He further noted that West Berkshire Council had helped to interpret Government advice to residents and that PPE in West Berkshire had been coordinated through the local resilience forum which had, as of 21 May, no issues of supply. He also indicated that West Berkshire Council had coordinated testing for key workers and BHFT. He explained that the Council had been working with BFHT and the CCG around support for care homes in addition to supporting local businesses with grants. He noted that the community support hub had helped to meet the immediate demands from the community, with a big focus on vulnerable residents who needed to shield at home. He further noted that the Hub had a dynamic relationship with over 90 community  ...  view the full minutes text for item 98.

99.

Update on Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy

To receive an update on progress made in developing the strategy

 

Minutes:

 Sarah Rayfield provided an update on the West Berkshire Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy. She stated that this was being developed with Wokingham and Reading and was supported by the CCG and Integrated Care Sytem with the ambition to set direction of travel for the integrated care partnership and for joint commissioning. The purpose is to set priorities for collective action to achieve greater health and wellbeing and to reduce health inequality and the strategy is being developed in consultation with key partners and local residents. She stated that in light of current circumstances around COVID, the deadline for completion had been pushed back to February 2021. She further noted that the development process of the strategy has four stages, where it was currently in the first stage to assess the current situation, which was planned to finish by the end of June. She noted that the strategy was starting to move into identifying priorities for the future, which involved engaging with local authorities, the CCG, health trusts, voluntary groups and Healthwatch, as well as reviewing recent public consultations. The idea is that the strategy will produce a list of challenges and priorities (taking account of COVID recovery) for the three authorities. Once priorities have been identified, there would be further engagement. She confirmed that the life-span of the strategy would be 10 years with reviews along the way, and that the strategy would be supported by implementation plans.

 

Councillor Lynne Doherty asked about the impact of COVID on the strategy. Sarah Rayfield stated that the team were engaging with recovery work that was being co-ordinated throughout the three local authorities.

 

Andrew Sharp highlighted that Healthwatch was running a survey that may prove useful. Kamal Bahia asked if the Healthwatch and Council surveys could be coordinated. Dr Bal Bahia asked if the CCG could access Granicus. Andy Sharp confirmed that Granicus would be available to the CCG.

 

Matt Pearce asked for help in engaging communities and identifying priorities.  Kamal highlighted a recent Patient Panel meeting and a Patient and Public Engagement meeting and would liaise with Matt Pearce.

 

100.

Members' Question(s)

Members of the Executive to answer questions submitted by Councillors in accordance with the Executive Procedure Rules contained in the Council’s Constitution.

 

(a)   Questions submitted to the Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care by Mr Andrew Sharp from HealthWatch West Berkshire:

i)               “What level of scrutiny/ transparency is happening in relation to Care Homes and Covid infection in West Berkshire, their levels of PPE, and numbers of staff trained to use PPE adequately?”

 

ii)              “How many care homes are on the ‘place with caution’ list currently due to Covid?”

 

iii)             “How many care homes currently have a death or multiple deaths from Covid?”

 

iv)            “Are Covid positive patients being discharged from Hospital to care homes in West Berkshire?”

 

Minutes:

Members of the Executive to answer questions submitted by

Councillors in accordance with the Executive Procedure Rules contained in the Council’s Constitution.

 

 

A full transcription of the public and Member question and answer sessions is available from the following link:

 

http://decisionmaking.westberks.gov.uk/documents/b18689/Questions%20and%20Answers%2021st-May-2020%2009.30%20Health%20and%20Wellbeing%20Board.pdf?T=9

 

 

 (a) Questions submitted to the Portfolio Holder for

Adult Social Care by Mr Andrew Sharp from

HealthWatch West Berkshire:

 

i) A question standing in the name of Mr Andrew Sharp querying what level of scrutiny/ transparency was happening in relation to Care Homes and Covid infection in West Berkshire, their levels of PPE, and numbers of staff trained to use PPE adequately was answered by the Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care. What level of scrutiny/ transparency is happening in relation to Care Homes and Covid infection in West Berkshire, their levels of PPE, and numbers of staff trained to use PPE adequately was answered by the Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care.

 

ii) A question standing in the name of Mr Andrew Sharp querying how many care homes are on the ‘place with caution’ list currently due to Covid was answered by the Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care.

 

iii) A question standing in the name of Mr Andrew Sharp querying how many care homes currently have a death or multiple deaths from Covid was answered by the Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care.

 

iv) A question standing in the name of Mr Andrew Sharp querying are Covid positive patients being discharged from Hospital to care homes in West Berkshire was answered by the Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care.

 

 

101.

Exclusion of Press and Public

RECOMMENDATION: That members of the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items as it is likely that there would be disclosure of exempt information of the description contained in the paragraphs of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 specified in brackets in the heading of each item.

Minutes:

RESOLVED that members of the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the under-mentioned item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as contained in Paragraphs(s) * of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information)(Variation) Order 2006. Rule 8.10.4 of the Constitution also refers.

102.

Future meeting dates

         24 September 2020

         28 January 2021

         20 May 2021

Minutes:

The next meeting would take place on 24 September 2020.