To consider any items which the Chair has agreed to have submitted as urgent.

The Chair invited the Consultant in Public Health to provide the Committee with a verbal update on the recent Coronavirus outbreak.

She described that the Novel coronavirus (2019-nCov) was a new strain of coronavirus first identified in Wuhan City, China. As a group, coronaviruses were common across the world. Typical symptoms of coronavirus include fever and a cough that may progress to a severe pneumonia causing shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. The infection prevention control measures were good hand hygiene and messages that would be used to prevent other respiratory disease, catch it, bin it, kill it messages (sneeze/cough into tissue then put in bin.)

Generally, coronavirus could cause more severe symptoms in people with weakened immune systems, older people, and those with long-term conditions like diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease and that to date two patients in England had tested positive for coronavirus. Members were informed that at the time of reporting the risk level in the UK had increased from low to moderate, adding that the UK did not need to change its front line response but did need to ensure plans were in place for if the situation got worse.

She described that Greater Manchester and Manchester organisations were working well together to ensure that health protection systems were in place to respond to the novel Coronavirus. Work was nationally led by Public Health England (PHE) and, from a health perspective, officers were working with the local NW PHE team as well as the following health organisations:

·         Manchester Health and Care Commissioning;

·         North Manchester General Hospital Infectious Diseases Unit;

·         Northern Care Alliance;

·         Manchester University NHS Foundations Trust;

·         North West Ambulance Service; and

·         Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership.

PHE was also working with Manchester Airport and enhanced monitoring arrangements had been established from 29January 2020 for direct flights from China.  She said that this was an evolving situation and advice and information was regularly updated and available on the Public Health website.

The Consultant in Public Health stated that the preparedness arrangements in Greater Manchester were good and there were already pathways and plans in place, noting that Manchester was fortunate to have the Regional Infectious Disease Unit situated in North Manchester.

Members were informed that the Greater Manchester Resilience Forum (GMRF) coordinated local multi-agency activities to prepare for a range of incidents and emergencies. These arrangements were complimented by the GM Local Health Resilience Partnership (LHRP), which provided a specific focus on preparedness for public health related incidents.

These arrangements had supported a range of local partners to work together over many years to develop various system-wide health plans and capabilities, such as the GM Multi-Agency Outbreak Plan which detailed arrangements for multi-agency response to a High Consequence Infectious Disease (HCID), such as the 2019 Novel Coronavirus. Manchester also had a Manchester Multi Agency Outbreak Plan that set out the local operational arrangements which complemented the GM Multi-Agency Outbreak Plan.

The Executive Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing commented that there had been reports of sections of the local community experiencing discrimination and stigma as a result of the outbreak in China. She said that Manchester was an open, international and welcoming city and at such a difficult time solidarity had to be shown to the Chinese community in the city. She encouraged all Councillors, in their capacity as community leaders to tackle stigma and discrimination. 

Decision

To note the verbal update.