Agenda item
Local Engagement Board
The Board will receive an update on the Local Engagement Board that was set up in response to the Local Outbreak Control plan to hold the Council accountable & support the strategic aim of addressing inequalities in the impact of COVID-19 on individuals and communities and ensure that our COVID-19 response is led by residents and communities.
Minutes:
The Board received and noted an update from the Local Engagement Board that had been set up in response to the Local Outbreak Control plan to hold the Council accountable and to support the strategic aim of addressing inequalities highlighted by the impact of COVID-19 on individuals and communities and ensure that the Borough’s COVID-19 response is led by residents and communities. The main points raised as part of the discussion may be summarised as follows:
The Board:
v Noted that after an initial enthusiastic response to the Covid-19 vaccine the uptake by younger people has petered out, so it will take longer to reach the levels of vaccination seen in older groups – this pattern is seen across London.
v Noted that the focus of the campaign is now on the 18- to 40-year-old cohort and was concerned that the NHS are seeing patients in this cohort who are fit and have no other medical problems in ICUs [intensive care units] due to Covid.
v Noted that with in Tower Hamlets a high percentage of the population is made up of the young people and therefore much work is needed to be done to reach out to this particular age group.
v Noted with concern that some residents feel that general practitioners’ surgeries want them to register before they receive a vaccination.
v Stated that it wished to have the information provided to the Covid-19 community champions circulated to the Board and the Local Engagement Group.
v Noted that there are multiple sites in the Bourgh where people can get their vaccine, so whether it’s at East Wintergarden, Westfield shopping centre, a local pharmacy, or the Art Pavilion in Mile End Book a Covid-19 vaccination - Tower Hamlets - Your details - Section 1 - forms
v Agreed that it was important to stress to those residents aged 18- to 40-year-old should have both doses of the vaccine to give them the maximum protection from Covid-19 and that they should book their second jab eight to ten weeks after their first dose. In addition, it was noted that partner agencies are advertising in advance what to expect and help answer any questions raised. They are also working with the local voluntary; community and faith sectors to understand how best to reach out to people within Tower Hamlets and to get them involved in the develop in the rollout of the vaccine programme
v Noted that there are areas in the Borough where there is a really low uptake and there is targeted door-to-door testing in those areas starting in Mile End West
v Noted that some of the reasons for this gap are practical and are being tackled with a more pragmatic focus on logistics. Hence why the vaccination programme has been rolled out into local and community venues to widen access and ensure getting a vaccine is as simple and easy as possible. Residents also need to be given adequate information as without clear and effective communication people are susceptible to misinformation. That can spread through friends and family, online and via social media, playing on existing anxieties.
v Noted that Tower Hamlets continues to be one of the fastest growing, youngest, and most diverse populations in England, with a quarter of the whole population aged 0 to 19 years old and therefore a significant percentage of the population are only now receiving their vaccinations. However, it is important to acknowledge the work that the GP Care Group has done and the work that has been taken forward around an ensuring the good uptake of vaccination although that is not to say that there are some real risks around people who are clinically vulnerable who have not had the full course e.g. the fear of the covid vaccine now particularly among the younger generation definitely needs a different approach.
1. The Board noted the points raised in the discussion and agreed to incorporate the above-mentioned comments as appropriate within future discussions.