The presentation will be shared at the meeting via Teams.

Ruth Roberts (Bromley by Bow Centre) and Allison Talbot a service user provided an update on how Bromley by Bow Centre has adapted services during the Pandemic. The main points of the discussion maybe be summarised as follows:

The Board:

• Were particularly concerned about how people with learning disabilities are managing and how particular their carers are managing to support them.
• Noted that many people with learning disabilities have multiple health conditions and it is important for people to keep up to date to see their GPs to feel safe to go out.
• Noted that since October 2016, the GP Care Group has run the Tower Hamlets Social Prescribing service with funding from the local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
• Noted details of the Social Prescribing for GPs, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to help improve patients’ health and wellbeing, specifically those who do not need a medical intervention, by referring them to access non-clinical services and support.
• Noted that in the more deprived wards in Tower Hamlets, patients visit their GP for reasons other than clinical problems, as they might not know where to access support for wider social issues such as debt advice or housing problems. These determinants can have a significant impact on people’s health and wellbeing. The Social Prescribing service offers direct support to access ‘social prescription’ helping to improve residents’ overall health and wellbeing.
• Noted that the Coronavirus has presented an unprecedented challenge to the local Food Banks as they have become more important than ever for the most vulnerable members of the community.
• Noted that the purpose of establishing Food Hubs is to principally provide logistical support to those Food Banks that provide essential food to people classed as extremely vulnerable and at the highest risk of severe illness from Coronavirus and to help others at-risk residents who might have difficulty getting food. These include the very elderly who may be self-isolating or unwell with symptoms of coronavirus and without a support network of family or friends.
• Was advised that the Council and its partners also provide an intensive, individualized care management process for residents with serious or complex needs. This wraparound care typically includes formal services and interventions, together with community services and interpersonal support and assistance provided people drawn from social networks.

In conclusion the Board

1. Noted that the reflections of organisation and service users would remain as a standing item on all Board agendas; and
2. Encourage Members; Partner Agencies and Services Users to submit suggestions for updates on examples of how various schemes have adapted during the Pandemic.