Agenda and minutes

Venue: Meeting Space, Block 1, Floor 2, County Hall

Contact: Lesley Bennett 

Note: Guidance for Public Attendance at meetings The meeting venue requires access to the normal workplace, so the public are asked to wear face coverings and ensure good hand hygiene. Arrangements are in place to reserve the required number of seats for meeting participants. Members of the public must contact democraticservices@northumberland.gov.uk if they wish to attend a meeting in person and should specify which meeting. Members of the public are only allowed entry on a first come basis where capacity allows. Any member of the press or public may view the proceedings of this meeting live on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/NorthumberlandTV Signage will be posted once the room capacity has been reached. Standard Covid secure controls are in place to book in, ensure hand hygiene, ventilate the meeting space and ensure people comply with agreed meeting protocols. 

Items
No. Item

53.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from J. Boyack, R. O’Farrell, W. Pattison, G. Renner-Thompson, D. Thompson and P. Travers.

 

54.

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 324 KB

Minutes of the meetings of the Health and Wellbeing Board held on Thursday, 10 March 2022 as circulated, to be confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chair.

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Health and Wellbeing Board held on 10 March 2022, as circulated, be confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chair:

 

55.

LIVING WITH COVID pdf icon PDF 641 KB

To receive a presentation by Liz Morgan, Interim Executive Director for Public Health and Community Services.

 

Minutes:

Members received a presentation from Liz Morgan, Interim Executive Director for Public Health and Community Services.

 

Liz Morgan highlighted the following key areas:-

 

·            Changing the way we manage the pandemic – There was still a high number of cases in the UK.  The pandemic would continue to take its course and it was important to expect the unexpected over the next 18 months/two years.  The high prevalence of COVID did not appear to be translating into high hospital admissions at the same levels as they had previously, however, hospitals were still under significant pressure.

·            Principles

·            Encouraging safer behaviours through public health advice.

·            Protecting people most vulnerable to COVID-19

·            Maintaining resilience

·            Securing innovations

·            Changes to Testing – Free testing had largely ceased and was replaced by a more targeted approach

·            Testing for care – in hospitals, community and primary care, on emergency/unplanned admission, in advance of elective admission and on discharge into other care settings.

·            Testing to treat – High risk patients in the community – symptomatic testing to access treatment.

·            Testing to protect – symptomatic and asymptomatic testing in high risk settings such as NHS staff, care homes, social workers, hospices and detention settings.

·            Surveillance – The ONS survey was the main source of information currently and it was estimated that 1 in13 people had COVID-19 in the week ending 2 April 2022.  There was some evidence that the rate of increase was slowing.

·            The case rates were levelling off in some age groups but still increasing in others.  Some sectors not covered by the ONS survey were covered by the Vivaldi and Siren studies. 

·            Advice to the public

·            Living safely with respiratory infections including COVID-19 – get vaccinated, ventilation and fresh air, good hand and respiratory hygiene, choose to wear a face covering.

·            Guidance for people with symptoms of respiratory infection including COVID-19 – people with respiratory symptoms and high temperature or who do not feel well enough to work should stay at home if they can.

·            After positive test, stay at home for at least five days (if you can).

·            Follow guidance to minimise spread of COVID.

·            Advise against presenteeism.

·            Opportunities

·            Good practice of COVID-19 vaccination programme to be applied to other vaccination programmes.

·            Build on infection prevention and control practices and processes built up during pandemic.

·            Pivot the role of the Health Protection Board to consider wider health protection issues.

·            Work across the LA7 and wider North East area re. goals, short to medium term priorities and next steps.

·            Communications

·            There had been a very successful programme based on behavioural insights.  Messages appeared to resonate with the public when they came from local NHS partners and the Local Authority.

·            Emphasis on keeping the message simple and consistent and explain why this shift was being made and nuanced for different communities.

·            Key Messages

·            Further waves were expected over the next few years, and it was important to be able to respond to these quickly with vaccination, mass testing and contact tracing.

·            Vaccination remained the main protection  ...  view the full minutes text for item 55.

56.

HEALTH INEQUALITIES SUMMIT pdf icon PDF 3 MB

To receive a verbal update and presentation from Liz Morgan, Interim Executive Director for Public Health and Community Services.

 

Minutes:

Members received a presentation from Gill O’Neill, Deputy Director for Public Health.

 

Gill O’Neill highlighted the following key areas:-

 

·            The summit had taken place on 25 March 2022, chaired/facilitated by Professor Chris Bentley and with the keynote speaker, Cormac Russell and was working towards production of an Inequalities Plan for Northumberland. 

·            The event was not badged under any one organisation but aimed was to bring together a number of inequalities plans.  Discussions included immersive experience, sharing examples of local best practice, social determinants and holding ourselves to account to deliver.

·            Key Messages from Cormac Russell

·            Asset Based Community Development – working alongside communities and enabling them to do things for themselves.

·            Key Messages from Professor Chris Bentley

·            Thinking about issues from a civic level responsibility perspective and what were the best levers to use all the tools in the tool box but also how best to enhance services at the right time and right place but also what could come from community.  This would enable true ‘Place’ based working.

·            Interface between civic and community and services and community

·            Workshops identified the current position regarding civic into community seams and services into community seams.  Discussions surrounded moving from Emerging/Developing/Maturing and Thriving.  Attendees’ opinion had been that Northumberland was emerging to developing when considering the whole system how to best work from a community centred perspective and to maximise the opportunities with civic responsibilities, services and empowering communities.  However, it was stressed that there were pockets of mature and thriving examples.

·            Key Ambitions

·            Improve data and insights sharing

·            Upscale community centred approaches as the core delivery model, using the three questions from Cormac Russell

·            What is it that communities can do best?

·            What do communities require help with?

·            What do communities need outside agencies to do for them?

·            Align the organisations and resources from a cultural and workforce perspective.

·            Look at everything through an inequalities lens.

 

The following comments were made:-

 

·            It was acknowledged that there was disappointment from the voluntary sector representative that they had not been invited to attend the event.  Invitations had been very restricted in order to keep the event COVID-19 safe.  It was noted that invitations had been spread out over the NHS, Local Authority, private sector and VCS.  Advice had been taken from Citizens Advice and Northumberland Communities Together on attendance by VCSE organisations.  The Summit had only been the start of the conversation and there would then be further local events to enable a richer conversation.  Membership of the Task Group referred to was still to be discussed. 

·            Although there had not been an opportunity for members of the local community to attend, there had been video injects such as from the group ‘Forget-Me-Nots’, from a young man about his life experience and from a front line teacher.

·            It was good to be recognised to be at the ‘Emerging’ stage and that a culture change was required.  It was suggested that ‘Emerging Together’ may be a more appropriate title.

·            The aim was to decide what  ...  view the full minutes text for item 56.

57.

CHILD DEATH OVERVIEW PANEL (CDOP) ANNUAL REPORT (APRIL 2020-MARCH 2021) pdf icon PDF 111 KB

To receive the Child Death Overview Panel Annual Report.  Report presented by Alison Johnson, Northumberland CCG.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Members received the Child Death Overview Panel Annual Report from Alison Johnson, Northumberland CCG.

 

Alison Johnson raised the following key points:-

 

·            This was the first annual report of the reconstituted Panel which covered Gateshead, Newcastle, Northumberland, North and South Tyneside, and Sunderland.  The purpose of the Panel was to scrutinise the circumstances of every child’s death and, if appropriate, provide challenge to the agencies involved to enhance learning and make recommendations to improve service delivery and patient experience.

·            In each case the cause of death was classified and contributory factors identified along with any modifiable factors.  Recommendations were also made to prevent future similar deaths or to improve the safety and welfare of children in the local area and further afield.

·            A total of 82 deaths had been reviewed (20 of which were in Northumberland).  Nine had modifiable factors including maternal smoking, parental drug misuse, high maternal BMI, a child who did not have the flu vaccine, late pregnancy booking including drug misuse and alcohol misuse.

·            The ages of the child deaths were not broken down, however, the highest category of child death 45% (37) was within the first 27 days of life.

·            An example of actions taken included:

·            After the death of a young person after ingesting MDMA, the Substance Misuse Team had worked with Public Health to deliver a session in schools on recognising the signs of substance misuse and first aid.

·            Introduction of a question on food allergies was incorporated into existing asthma review templates following the death of a child from anaphylaxis.

·            A breakdown of the modifiable factors and ages of children for each area had been requested

 

The following comments were made:-

 

·            It was confirmed that still births were not included in the figures.

·            The request for a further breakdown of modifiable factors was welcomed along with assurance that the appropriate processes were in place to assess the deaths.  Alison Johnson confirmed that she attended all of the review and that any learning from issues highlighted would be taken forward.

·            The review process itself was assessed to ensure that it remained robust.

·            The Panel report had previously gone to the Children’s Safeguarding Partnership but was now felt to be more Public Health related.  The Partnership had taken on board the modifiable factors to be the areas that it should focus on.  For example, the issue of safe sleeping had resulted in work being carried out with Midwives and Health Visitors and interventions put into place at the recommendation of the Safeguarding Partnership.

·            The Annual Report would continue to be submitted to the Safeguarding Partnership as well as the Health & Wellbeing Board.

·            It was suggested that there was an opportunity for all of the CDOP Panels across the region to collaborate and share reports.

 

The Chair thanked Alison Johnson for the report.

 

RESOLVED that the report be received.

 

58.

HEALTH AND WELLBEING BOARD – FORWARD PLAN pdf icon PDF 138 KB

To note/discuss details of forthcoming agenda items at future meetings; the latest version is enclosed.

 

Minutes:

Members received the latest version of the Forward Plan.

 

RESOLVED that the Forward Plan be noted.

 

59.

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The next meeting will be held on Thursday, 12 May 2022, at 10.00 a.m. at County Hall, Morpeth.  

 

Minutes:

The next meeting will be held on Thursday, 12 May 2022, at 10.00 a.m. in County Hall, Morpeth.