The Committee received and noted a joint presentation on the increased pressure on the health and social care system due the significant additional challenges given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.  A summary of the discussions may be summarised as follows:

The Sub-Committee noted that:

·         The Tower Hamlets Adult Social Care Winter Plan 2020-21 sets out their preparedness for the upcoming winter period and reflects the requirements set out in the national Adult Social Care Winter Plan. The plan is aligned to the Outbreak Control Plan and to Winter Plans held by health partners.

·         It is a requirement for each Local Authority to have in place an Adult Social Care Winter Plan by 31 October as described in the national Adult Social Care Winter Plan.

·         This plan was presented to Cabinet on 28 October and together with Tower Hamlets System Winter Plan 2020-21 and is now being presented to Health and Adults Scrutiny sub-committee for information.

• Covid presents specific risks to people experiencing homelessness; people rough sleeping or living in temporary accommodation are in a high-risk group, many with long term conditions, that mean becoming infected with the virus could have severe consequences.  However, some homeless patients had apparently been discharged straight back to the streets; often without their housing or underlying health problems having been addressed.
• It was understood that hospitals, local authority housing teams and voluntary sector organisations had a clear process from admission through to discharge to ensure homeless patients are discharged with somewhere to go and with support in place for their on-going care.
• Whilst NHS hospitals across the capital can treat the acute illnesses and injuries of patients who are homeless, they do not have the resources to give them time to recuperate before safely discharging them back into the community.  To address this, since April to help ease the burden on NHS hospitals and provide the care that these patients need the Mildmay is utilising the expertise of its doctors, nurses, and therapists to ease the burden on NHS hospitals by providing rehabilitative healthcare for people who are homeless or rough-sleeping and recuperating from illness or injury. 
• This frees up NHS beds and provides respite for this vulnerable cohort, with a far better chance of a safe and full recovery.  Once discharged from, the aim is that people will be supported by specialist homelessness provision.  In addition, within Tower Hamlets the relevant teams have been working together to purchase additional accommodation and during the first wave of Covid additional accommodation was purchased for the homeless persons so that was part of the availability for people being discharged from the Royal London in addition to the existing hostels pathway.  However, it was noted that if there are examples of where there have been discharges onto the streets these should be drawn to the attention of the relevant officers.
• Regarding people leaving hospital who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are transferring to a care home (and elsewhere) the priority is to ensure that everyone receives the right  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3