To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 7 July 2021.

The minutes of the meeting held on 7 July 2021 were submitted for approval.

Decision

To agree as a correct record, the minutes of the meeting of the Health and Wellbeing Board held on 7 July 2021.

The report of the Director of Public Health is enclosed.

The Director of Public Health submitted a report containing the Public Health Annual Report. The Director of Public Health is required to produce an Annual Report on the

health of the local population. The Board was informed that the report provides a legacy for future years and documents the City’s co-ordinated response to Covid-19 and includes personal reflections of the Public Health Team and partner agencies represented on the Health and Wellbeing Board. The report also provides a timeline on events since the start of the pandemic and the work undertaken to respond and plan public health provision at a very challenging time. The report referred to the expected continuance of the pandemic and included a recovery phase programme.

The Chair invited questions and comments from Members of the Board.

In welcoming the report Councillor Midgley acknowledged the record of the hard work that has taken place and the decisions that were made during that period that had protected people and saved lives. Thanks were given to everyone involved for ongoing work in tackling covid.

Members of the Board thanked the Director of Public Health for his work, leadership and dedication during the past year as well as paying tribute to all those involved. 

In noting the report, the Chair paid tribute to those involved in working to address the pandemic, in particular the leadership shown and the collaboration of agencies across the health and care sectors was recognised. The close working arrangements during this time demonstrated what is possible and gave a vision of what will be achieved moving forward. 

Decision

To note the report submitted.

The report of the Director of Public Health and the Medical Director, Manchester Health and Care Commissioning is enclosed.

The Director of Public Health and the Medical Director, Manchester Health and Care Commissioning submitted a report presenting an update on Covid 19 and details of the 12 Point Plan.

Following on from Manchester’s designation as an ‘enhanced response area’ that ended on 26 July 2021, Manchester has continued to implement the

local enhanced response area action plan throughout August. The Board was informed that it is likely that Manchester and other areas with enduring higher transmission rates will be invited to be part of a longer-term national programme up to April 2022. In anticipation of this the Manchester COVID-19 12 Point Plan has been refreshed and a copy was submitted.

The Director of Public Health provided an update on the 12 Point Plan with the latest data, local and national infection rates, current intelligence and the update on the Citywide Vaccination Programme including the Winter Phase 3 Plans.

The Twelve Point Action Plan will focus on the following aims:

1.         Support early years, schools and collegesto remain open and operate as safely as possible, using effective infection control measures, testing, management of outbreaks and vaccination where appropriate. Ensure universities and other higher education settings remain open and operate as safely as possible using effective infection control measures, testing, management of outbreaks in campuses and student accommodation and vaccination where appropriate.

2.         Protect the city’s most vulnerable residents by reducing and minimising outbreaks in care homes and other high risk residential settings, including prisons.

3.         Support workplaces and businesses to operate as safely as possible, using compliance measures and enforcement powers where necessary. Support work to keep our border safe at Manchester Airport.

4.         Facilitate the recovery of the city by supporting the shift from regulatory to voluntary guidance for events, leisure and religious celebrations.

5.         Ensure the needs of people and communities that are high risk, clinically vulnerable or marginalised are prioritised and addressed within the broader COVID response.

6.         Co-ordinate communications activity to enable Manchester residents to live safely with COVID and make informed decisions, including around vaccination.

7.         Deliver targeted community engagement that supports wider aims and objectives, ensuring that appropriate and culturally sensitive approaches are taken.

8.         Ensure that decisions in respect of the direct response to COVID-19 and the wider recovery programme are informed consistently by high quality data and intelligence.

9.         Continue to deliver the community testing model, with a focus on testing becoming part of ‘living with COVID’ and on underrepresented and disproportionately impacted Groups.

10.       Identify local cases of COVID early and provide a rapid response though effective contact tracing and outbreak management.

11.       Ensure residents comply with any legal instruction to self-isolate and have the support to enable them to do so.

12.       Work with the NHS locally to drive up vaccination rates among those groups with lower uptake, ensure second vaccinations are administered and support the roll out of booster vaccinations.

Reference was made to arrangements for the return of schools and university students and the contingency plans in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

The report of the Chair of Manchester Health and Care Commissioning (MHCC) is attached.

The Board received a report from Dr Bromley, Chair, Manchester Health and Care Commissioning (MHCC). Dr Bromley introduced the report that provided updates on the current recovery of health and social care services as part of the system’s response to the COVID-19 (Covid) pandemic, with a specific focus on Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT). The report also provided a description of the broader strategic recovery plans of the health and social care system. The Board noted that the MFT continues to experience operational pressures, as a result of the national pandemic that is impacting on delivery of NHS constitutional targets. Safety is being prioritised across emergency, urgent and elective pathways and system-wide improvement programmes are in place to support recovery. It is envisaged that progress will be made in reducing elective backlogs over the coming months, however this will be incremental and in the context of wider pressures. Demand for Mental Health, Community and Primary Care services has also significantly increased and out of hospital services are under equal levels of pressure. COVID-19 has had a much broader impact on the health and wellbeing on the people of Manchester. Some is evident now and some can be anticipated in the future and some may yet emerge. The development of a strategic recovery framework captures the breadth of the health and social care system’s response within the recovery phase. The framework covers four themes with associated outcomes metrics. (i. the resumption of services to bring services back to their pre-pandemic levels. ii. addressing the disproportionate impact that Covid has had on some population groups, as well as addressing the long-term health inequalities that would have widened, as a result of the pandemic. iii. meeting the new needs of our population because of Covid, including physical and mental health impacts. iv. the broader contribution the health and social care sector can make to the wider City recovery).

It is important to note that there is an ongoing, significant response, to Covid as well as high levels of demand for urgent care services. There is an interdependency between the level of demand within the system at a moment in time and implementation of recovery as it calls upon the same capacity and workforce.

The Board was addressed by officers from the agencies involved in the recovery process.

Sarah Perkins Director of Elective Recovery (MFT) addressed the Board on the work to re-engage with patients for a return to hospital services, post covid. Currently staff absence rates are between 9-10%, that presents resource issues to provide care across urgent care, paediatric care, mental health and elective services.  The process of engaging patients is under a period of change from non-face to face to in-person attendance. A process of grading patients is in place to deliver care to the most urgent patients and work is ongoing to engage with those patients in lower categories of need. The Board was informed of the process for engaging patients from across different ethnic communities.

Kate Proven, Quality  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

The Board’s work programme for 2021/22 municipal year is attached.

Decision

The Work Programme was received,