Agenda item

a          Members' Questions

The deadline for Member’s questions is 12pm four working days before the meeting (16 November 2020).

b          Public Questions

The deadline for public questions is seven days before the meeting (13 November 2020).

c          Petitions

The deadline for petitions was 14 days before the meeting. No petitions

have been received.

a          MEMBERS' QUESTIONS   [Item 4a]

None received.

b          PUBLIC QUESTIONS   [Item 4b]

Six questions were received from members of the public. The responses can be found attached to these minutes as Annex A.

Supplementary questions were asked from five members of the public and the verbal responses can be found below.

1. Supplementary question asked by Teresa Wood:

See Annex B – for written supplementary question.

            Response:

The Director of Public Health (SCC) noted that the original answer highlighted the Public Health England (PHE) independent rapid evaluation of the Innova SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Qualitative Test; which detailed the high specificity but did not detail the sensitivity. She explained that both the specificity and sensitivity of tests depended on various factors including their administration. That currently, government policy and guidance was to use those tests which were used by acute trust staff twice weekly. She added that there was a pilot in Liverpool and in Stoke-on-Trent to test asymptomatic members of the population, such testing had not yet occurred in the South England but that was an area to be looked at imminently.

It was agreed that a written answer would be provided to the questioner, to explain the matter in more detail (Annex B).

3. Supplementary question asked by Stuart Robertson:

See Annex B – for written supplementary question.

Response:

The Director of Public Health (SCC) referred to in initial response in which the second paragraph outlined the evidence that showed a 95% specificity and sensitivity for PCR testing. There was a small chance of a false positive, however for the vast majority of those getting a positive test and self-isolating, it was in order to protect the rest of the population and to prevent further spread.

It was agreed that a written answer would be provided to the questioner, to explain the matter in more detail (Annex B).

4. Supplementary question asked by Thomas Walker:

See Annex B – for written supplementary question.

Response:

It was agreed that a written answer would be provided to the questioner, to explain the matter in more detail (Annex B).

5. Supplementary question asked by Philip Walker:

The written response to the original question seemed to imply that it was very likely that on leaving national lockdown and re-entering the tiered system, Tier 1 was likely either to be strengthened or Tier 2 would be the presumed baseline. What would the hypothetical data have to look like locally for a tier of restrictions not to apply. What was the ceiling for that first baseline of restrictions being applied in the first place in terms of hospitalisations or cases per 100,000 population?

Response:

The Chief Executive (SCC) noted that at present there was no understanding or information on any of the thresholds or data points that the government would use to make the determination of tier allocations or revisions to the tier levels.

6. Supplementary question asked by Duncan White:

See Annex B – for written supplementary question.

Response:

The Area Director East Surrey - Adult Social Care (SCC)noted that the matter of discharging frail older people straight from hospital to care homes during the first wave of the pandemic had been reflected on. During the initial phase of the pandemic this was a response to the national requirements to free up hospital beds. The Adult Social Care directorate (SCC) has since been working closely with health colleagues to examine whether residential or nursing care is the right destination for people coming out of hospital. Adult Social Care had been supporting its own social care staff to challenge decisions on hospital discharge where they do not agree it is the right choice in some circumstances. She noted that it is preferable for people to go home directly from hospital where possible, but step-down facilities were also needed for those needing more time to recover. Adult Social Care was working hard with domiciliary care providers and live-in care providers to ensure that they had capacity to manage people once they were discharged from hospital and since the first wave, guidance and practices and processes have been strengthened to ensure that people could go home straight from hospital if possible and where it is safe to do so.

It was agreed that a written answer would be provided to the questioner, to explain the matter in more detail (Annex B).

The Chairman thanked those members of the public for their questions and supplementaries, noting the importance of challenge and engagement by members of the public.

c          PETITIONS   [Item 4c]

There were none.