Councillors and committees

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Remote

Contact: Amelia Christopher 

Note: Webcast Link: https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/councillors-and-committees/webcasts 

Media

Items
No. Item

10/22

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

    To receive any apologies for absence.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Apologies were received fromAnnie Righton, Dr Charlotte Canniff and Louise Punter.

     

11/22

MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING: 17 FEBRUARY 2022 pdf icon PDF 189 KB

    To agree the minutes of the previous meeting.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The minutes were agreed as a true record of the meeting.

     

12/22

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

    All Members present are required to declare, at this point in the meeting or

    as soon as possible thereafter

     

    (i)            Any disclosable pecuniary interests and / or

    (ii)           Other interests arising under the Code of Conduct in respect of any

    item(s) of business being considered at this meeting

     

    NOTES:

     

    ·         Members are reminded that they must not participate in any item

    where they have a disclosable pecuniary interest

    ·         As well as an interest of the Member, this includes any interest, of which the Member is aware, that relates to the Member’s spouse or civil partner (or any person with whom the Member is living as a spouse or civil partner)

    ·         Members with a significant personal interest may participate in the

    discussion and vote on that matter unless that interest could be

    reasonably regarded as prejudicial.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    There were none.

     

13/22

INFORMAL QUESTION TIME

    a          Members' Questions

     

    The deadline for Member’s questions is 12pm four working days before the meeting (13 April 2022).

     

    b          Public Questions

     

    The deadline for public questions is seven days before the meeting (12 April 2022).

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

           a   Members' Questions   [Item 4a]

     

     None received. 

     

    b   Public Questions   [Item 4b]

     

     None received.

     

     

14/22

ACTION TRACKER pdf icon PDF 126 KB

    The Board is asked to review its Action Tracker.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Witnesses:

     

    None

     

    Key points raised in the discussion:

     

    1.    The Chairman referring to action A24/21 reiterated that Tandridge District Council was the only one out of the eleven Surrey Borough and District Councils that had not joined the Community (COVID-19) Champions programme, she had followed up the matter with the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources - a Surrey County Council Member for Tandridge - who would progress the matter; and the Chairman noted that officers - including the Project Support Officer - Public Health - Community Champions (SCC) - were continuing the discussions around Tandridge joining the scheme.

     

    RESOLVED:

     

    1.    That the Board reviewed its Action Tracker.

     

    ·           Action A24/21 - to be marked as completed.

     

    Actions/further information to be provided:

     

    None.

     

15/22

COVID-19 SURVEILLANCE UPDATE

    A verbal update is to be provided on the surveillance of the data and intelligence concerning COVID-19.

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Witnesses:

    Tom Bourne - Public Health Analyst Team Leader,Surrey County Council

    Ruth Hutchinson - Director of Public Health, Surrey County Council

     

    Key points raised in the discussion:

     

    1.      The Public Health Analyst Team Leader (SCC) noted that:

    ·           Since the last meeting of the Board there had been significant changes to data availability as for example since the end of the provision of free universal symptomatic and asymptomatic testing for the public on 1 April 2022, recorded cases had become a less reliable measure of the prevalence of Covid-19 and instead the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Covid-19 Infection Survey, and measures such as hospital admissions and deaths were used.

    ·           Recorded cases of Covid-19 in Surrey over the course of the pandemic were just under 405,000, there were large drops in the number of recorded cases throughout March and since 1 April 2022.

    ·           The ONS Covid-19 Infection Survey showed the estimated percentage of the England population testing positive for Covid-19, the Survey asked people to test at fixed points once weekly whether or not they were experiencing symptoms. That up to the week ending 9 April 2022, cases remained high equivalent to 1 in 14 being infected; there had however been a decrease of cases in the last fortnight of data from 7.6% to 6.9% of the population.

    ·           The ONS Covid-19 Infection Survey showed the estimated percentage of the population testing positive for Covid-19 by region in England between 27 February to 9 April 2022, the lowest percentages were in the East of England, London and the South East - at 6.4% - and the North East had the highest percentage at 7.9% and that looked to be increasing.

    ·           The ONS Covid-19 Infection Survey showed the estimated percentage of the population testing positive for Covid-19 by age group in England between 27 February to 9 April 2022, the lowest percentage was 4.7% for those in school years 7 to 11 at secondary school; the highest percentage was 7% for those aged between 50 - 69 years and 7.2% for those aged 70 years plus - both percentages were plateauing.

    ·           A graph on the weekly number of people reporting Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests and PCR positivity in Surrey up to 12 April 2022 was shown whereby the number of PCR tests completed per week was around 15,000 compared to 50,000 tests per week in late January and 100,000 tests a week around Christmas.

    ·           A graph on the weekly number of people reporting Lateral Flow Device (LFD) tests in Surrey up to 18 April 2022 was shown whereby numbers continued to fall steadily.

    ·           A graph on Google Mobility data for London and Surrey, showing the percentage change compared to pre-pandemic baseline up to 15 April 2022 - minus the latest week for the Easter holiday - was shown whereby time spent in the workplace decreased by 25% compared to pre-pandemic levels.

    ·           A graph on the patients admitted to hospital in the South East up to 17 April 2022 was shown whereby  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15/22

16/22

COVID-19 COMMUNICATIONS PLAN UPDATE pdf icon PDF 248 KB

    A communications and engagement strategy has been developed to support the Surrey Local Outbreak Management Plan. The Communications Plan has evolved as more has been learnt about our public health response to the virus and this report provides the latest update on communications activity.

     

     

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Witnesses:

     

    Abi Pope - Senior Communications Manager - COVID-19 Communications Lead, Surrey County Council

     

    Key points raised in the discussion:

     

    1.    The Senior Communications Manager - COVID-19 Communications Lead (SCC) noted that:

    ·         Since the last Board meeting, there had been a number of changes to adapt to such as the publication of the Government’s Living with COVID-19 plan and the end of free universal testing.

    ·         The Communications team (SCC) continued to work closely with the Public Health team (SCC), the regular joint data meetings had highlighted the continued high prevalence in Surrey of Covid-19 so the Communications team (SCC) via local and national assets had been continuing to ask people to do the right thing such as continuing with infection prevention measures through ‘Back to basics’ messaging such as ‘Catch it, Bin it, Kill it’.

    ·         Changes to the testing programme had been communicated, throughout March the Communications team (SCC) was continuing to remind people to keep testing until 31 March and the messaging from 1 April 2022 was focused on reminding the public that free testing was only available to certain groups - such as those at risk of serious illness and NHS staff or social care staff - and information was provided about how to buy tests as a precaution when visiting an elderly or vulnerable relative for example.

    ·         The public health messaging had changed as people cannot be certain if they are not testing in the same way whether or not they have Covid-19, or if they might have symptoms of another respiratory illness and therefore emphasised the importance of staying at home if feeling unwell, particularly as the NHS had published a broader list of Covid-19 symptoms with nine new symptoms added to the three existing symptoms. 

    ·         There had been messaging around the changes in travel guidance, particularly in the run up to the Easter holidays, including the changes to testing and other requirements, as well as reminding people to ensure that they are vaccinated when they are visiting other countries.

    ·         The Communications team (SCC) had continued to support its colleagues in Surrey Heartlands as they worked closely together on vaccination communications. Whilst Surrey Heartlands had taken over the use of geo-targeting, the team continued to support them on specific areas.

    ·         There was a large list of all the different cohorts and the different requirements that the team had been communicating to, including the recent announcement in early April 2022 that 5 - 11 year olds could now have their Covid-19 vaccination.

    2.    The Chairman thanked the Senior Communications Manager - COVID-19 Communications Lead (SCC) for her work and highlighted the tremendous contribution by the Communications team (SCC) over the course of the pandemic and joined up working with the Public Health team (SCC). She noted that the messaging around Covid-19 had been powerful and there was a lot of learning to take away and successful tools including the RingGo parking app.

    3.    A Board member thanked the Senior Communications Manager - COVID-19 Communications Lead (SCC)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16/22

17/22

SURREY COVID-19 LOCAL OUTBREAK MANAGEMENT PLAN pdf icon PDF 532 KB

    The Director of Public Health (DPH) has a statutory duty to work with system partners to develop and ensure delivery of the COVID-19 Local Outbreak Management Plan (LOMP). The LOMP outlines how Surrey County Council (SCC) and system partners continue to work together to prevent the spread of COVID-19, manage outbreaks and support and protect residents. In Surrey, delivery of the LOMP commenced at the beginning of July 2020. This report details recent progress on the delivery of the plan including key outcomes, challenges and next steps.

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Witnesses:

     

    Ruth Hutchinson - Director of Public Health, Surrey County Council

    Lorna Hart - Covid Vaccination Programme Director, Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care System

    Rheanna Mitchell - Covid-19 Testing Programme Lead, Surrey County Council

    Lisa Andrews - Public Health Principal,Surrey County Council

    Negin Sarafraz-Shekary - Public Health Principal, Surrey County Council

    Yazmin Castillo Munoz de Hodgson - Project Support Officer - Public Health - Community Champions, Surrey County Council

     

    Key points raised in the discussion:

     

    1.    Before moving to the content of the item, the Director of Public Health (SCC) noted that the Public Health team (SCC) could not have done its job without the excellent support from the Communications team (SCC) and communication colleagues in health. She noted that lessons learnt would be taken away and would inform other areas of public health work going forward.

     

    National Update: Living with COVID-19

     

    2.    The Director of Public Health (SCC) noted that:

    ·         Since the last Board meeting the Government’s Living with COVID-19 plan was published on 21 February 2022 and the updated guidance - as opposed to legislation - was published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on 1 April 2022.

    ·         The Living with COVID-19 guidance focused on protecting those most at risk and included advice for those with symptoms of respiratory infections including Covid-19, a positive Covid-19 test and their contacts, and for everyone on safer behaviours.

    ·         The plethora of high-level guidance could be accessed through the website links, provided for different audiences including for everyone, businesses, those who are clinically extremely vulnerable, those with weakened immune systems, childcare and education settings, and adult social care settings; and to be mindful that the guidance was regularly updated.

    ·         The NHS had produced the guidance for healthcare settings and testing for staff and patients.

    ·         There was also guidance around prisons, the NHS COVID Pass and around visa applicants.

    ·         Updated guidance was not yet published concerning those who are homeless, and the providers of accommodation for asylum seekers.

    ·         The Living with COVID-19 guidance for everyone remained the same in terms of the behaviours to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections such as: letting fresh air in, washing hands and wearing a face covering in crowded spaces and getting vaccinated.

    ·         Continuing to promote the Evergreen offer would be vital as 15% of Surrey’s over 25 year olds had not had their first Covid-19 vaccine.

    ·         The Living with COVID-19 guidance for everyone included nine additional symptoms of Covid-19 that had emerged from evidence, in addition to the three main symptoms where testing had been required.

     

    Gavin Stephens arrived at 2.33 pm.

    ·         As the focus was on the mix of respiratory illnesses including Covid-19 and as testing for Covid-19 was no longer widespread, people would not know for certain whether they have Covid-19; the broad list of symptoms were common to other respiratory illnesses and the guidance highlighted that those with any symptoms of a respiratory illness such as a high temperature should try to stay at home until the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17/22

18/22

FUTURE MEETINGS OF THE BOARD

    • Share this item

    The Board is asked to review its meeting frequency going forward in light of the changes in national policy around Covid-19.  

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Witnesses:

     

                  Amelia Christopher - Committee Manager, Surrey County Council

     

    Key points raised in the discussion:

     

    1.    The Chairman:

    ·         Noted the move towards business-as-usual concerning Covid-19 as set out in the Government's Living with COVID-19 plan and removal of restrictions.

    ·         Noted that having liaised with the Director of Public Health (SCC), the Chairman suggested that the meeting was to be the last of the Board, to be keep under review as should the need arise the Board could meet either through an extraordinary meeting in private or in accordance with the scheduled public meetings on 16 June, 15 September and 17 November 2022.

    ·         Noted that the meeting invites for those dates would be retained and cancelled if not needed and sought Board members’ views and support for the above position.

    ·         Noted that the above position was in line with that of the Local Government Association’s Local Outbreak Plan Advisory Board which in March decided to transition to businesses-as-usual and would no longer meet regularly.

    2.    A Board member noted that the position outlined above was a sensible approach as it was the right time to step back and noted that there were mechanisms in place to be able to escalate again and reinstate processes where necessary. He thanked Board members and colleagues for all their work. 

    -       In response, the Chairman welcomed that comment and a comment in the meeting chat supporting the above position and the Board agreed to move forward on that basis.

    3.    The Chairman:

    ·         Noted that at the last Health and Wellbeing Board on 16 March 2022 an action was agreed that for the Board’s April meeting there would be an agenda item on Lessons Learnt from Covid-19 and outbreak management.

    ·         Explained that the item had been deferred as the Surrey Local Resilience Forum (SLRF) needed to conduct a final review of the lessons learnt throughout the pandemic and that would be undertaken in the next few months and would be received by Board members in due course either via email or at a future meeting where necessary or via the Health and Wellbeing Board.

    ·         Sought Board members’ views and support for the above position; which the Board agreed to.

    ·         Asked whether that document would be available in the public domain.

    -       In response, the Committee Manager (SCC) explained that she would liaise with the report authors on whether it would be publicly available in light of any sensitive information. She noted that if the report to the Board would be provided offline - privately - she would look to provide a version which could be shared in the public domain via the Board’s update to the Health and Wellbeing Board.

    4.    The Chairman concluded that as it was to be the Board’s last meeting, she expressed her thanks to all those who had contributed to the Board over the past eighteen to twenty-four months.

     

     

    RESOLVED:

     

    1.    That Board members agreed that April’s meeting was to be the last of the Board, to be keep under review  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18/22