Agenda item
Chairs Update
- Meeting of "Hybrid" Meeting, Tower Hamlets Health and Wellbeing Board, Tuesday, 29th June, 2021 5.15 p.m. (Item 1.4)
- View the background to item 1.4
Minutes:
Councillor Rachel Blake (Chair) provide the Board with the following:
The Board noted that:
v The consultation on the Health and Well Being Strategy for the period for 2021-2025 had commenced last month and currently had received over 100 responses to the to the consultation. Although this was a positive step it was intended (i) to undertake a number of more in-depth conversations with some particular groups; and (ii) that all members of the Board should continue to use their own networks to promote the online survey and that it was important to have a genuine dialogue throughout the consultation.
v The ambitions outlined in the Strategy can definitely be delivered through the Tower Hamlets Together life course work streams that are already well established and demonstrates a clear link between the strategic direction established by the Health and Wellbeing Board e.g. “Ambition 1 To all access safe, social spaces near our homes, so that we can live active, healthy lives as a community” To achieve this the Board will work with partners across the Borough, including the Council’s Public Realm team and housing associations, to reduce traffic levels and make the best use of the Borough’s land/spaces. The intention being to ensure that all Tower Hamlets residents are owning and using the open spaces to lead active, social lives – whatever their age, sex, ethnicity, health condition or locality.
v The outcome of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Inequalities Commission inequalities report had been considered at the last meeting and it was accepted that the Board must take ownership of the recommendations. Accordingly, this will be followed up over the next couple of months so that the Boards action plan will be ready to be implemented e.g. if there's any particular recommendations that partner organisations would like to champion.
v The Health and Wellbeing Board terms of reference and the membership are now the subject of a refresh as (i) several members organisations and organisational structures that have changed; and (ii) there is a need to address challenges regarding about how the Board is representing the whole Community in the diversity of health and social care professionals and other leaders across the NHS, the Council, and the voluntary sector who are working together to solve problems and lead change to benefit of residents.
Dr Sam Everington (Vice-Chair) provided the Board with the following:
The Board noted the following critical issues that:
v There is continued disruptive impact of the Covid pandemic on NHS care. The latest available data indicates that the shutdown of most non Covid services in the first wave, combined with drastic changes in patient behaviour, mean the NHS is facing a large backlog of non - Covid care, thereby storing up greater problems for the future.
v As the infection control measures and the ongoing diversion of resources towards Covid services during the second peak of hospitalisations has meant that this backlog of care will take even longer to work through as it continues to accumulate. Also (i) whilst Accident and emergency services (A&E) demand decreased to significantly lower levels, partially due to less road and alcohol related accidents during lockdown, there is concern that some patients avoided seeking care from A&E even when suffering life-threatening symptoms; and(ii) mental health consultations have increased.
v The pressure is therefore enormous and on top of that there is a tired workforce as a lot of people did not take holiday during Covid although they now being encouraged to do that. It is therefore really important people are aware of that.
v Maintaining appropriate staffing in healthcare facilities is essential to providing a safe working environment for healthcare personnel (HCP) and safe patient care.
v Health organisations are demanding an end to the abuse endured by healthcare workers during the pandemic and are calling on the public to join them.
v The Borough’s health organisations were not allowed to vaccinate residents in the younger cohorts (31 and 46 per cent of the Tower Hamlets population are aged between 20 and 39) to compensate for the different vaccination rates between various ethnic groups in the older cohorts. Therefore, next month there will be thousands in this age group requiring vaccinations.
v In the autumn there will be the extra pressure of the influenza viruses and the Covid boosters.
v The Board needs to understand these above-mentioned challenges and pressures on the overall system that stretch across health and social care.