Agenda item - Sussex Health & Care Partnership (SHCP) Winter Plan

Report of the Executive Lead, Strategy, Governance & Law on the Sussex Health & Care Partnership Winter Plan (copy attached).

14.1    This item was introduced by Katy Jackson, BSUH Deputy Chief Operating Officer. Lola Banjoko (CCG Managing Director) and Grace Hanley (BHCC Assistant Director, HASC) also answer member queries.

14.2    In response to a question from Cllr McNair on the flu jab, Ms Jackson told the committee that the uptake this year is currently high. The jab is also being offered to all people aged 50 and above. The system has worked hard to encourage take-up, particularly from staff, and on removing any barriers to take-up – e.g. the historic competition between GPs and pharmacies.

14.3    Caroline Ridley asked whether thought had been given to the use of community venues for administering the flu jab, particularly for the most clinically vulnerable people, if GP surgeries were not available. Lola Banjoko agreed to consider this idea.

14.4    Cllr West noted that there have been issues with flu vaccine supply to pharmacies. Significant problems can arise when supplies arrive late. Cllr West also noted that the Winter Plan contains little explicit mention of pharmacy services, even though these are key to the health & care system. Recognition also needs to be given to the additional signposting work pharmacies have had to take on during the Covid emergency.  Ms Jackson responded that she would look into the prominence given to pharmacies in the Winter Plan. However, there is definitely more mention of them in the full Plan (the version shared with HOSC is abridged for ease of reading). Pharmacies do indeed play a key role in the system.

14.5    Cllr West queried the degree to which older people (who are amongst the most likely to be digitally excluded) have been represented in online surveys such as the Healthwatch survey of customer satisfaction with digital health services. Fran McCabe agreed that the issue of under-representation of the digitally excluded was an issue in online surveys. Healthwatch are working to find alternative methods of reaching this group. It should be noted that the Healthwatch survey found significantly lower levels of satisfaction with digital services from older respondents, so it is likely that the real level of dissatisfaction is even higher.

14.6    In response to a question from Cllr Phillips about the accuracy of assessments of homeless people’s health needs, Grace Hanley agreed to follow-up on this issue outside the meeting.

14.7    Cllr Grimshaw raised an issue she had encountered whilst trying to support someone with digital access issues to register with a GP. This would have been relatively easy to address face-to-face, but was really complicated when this was not permitted due to Covid. Lola Banjoko agreed to take this point up outside the meeting.

14.8    In response to a question from Cllr McNair on training for digital consultations, Ms Banjoko agreed that it was important to recognise that digital interactions require a specific set of skills. The rapid move to digital is a learning process for all concerned and it is becoming clear that digital has disadvantages and is unlikely to become the default mode for some areas of health care such as surgical assessment and diagnostics.

14.9    Fran McCabe asked what the public could do to support the health and care system over what is likely to be a difficult winter period. Ms Banjoko responded that everyone needs to adhere to the core public health infection prevention messages. In addition it is important that people with long-term conditions continue to take their medications as they should. It is also crucial that people seek help when they need it.

14.10  Grace Hanley told members that there has been some additional Government funding for residential care, and that GPs, Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust and Public Health are all also providing additional support. There will be a focus on getting discharge from hospital right (especially for Covid positive patients); on communication with care providers; and on workforce (the current position is good). She was optimistic that the system will manage well over the winter, building on the excellent partnership working to deal with the first wave of Covid.

14.11  The Chair raised an issue concerning a vulnerable person she had been supporting who was struggling to access services and who had subsequently died. Ms Banjok agreed to take this up outside the meeting.

14.12  In response to a question from Cllr Osborne on the scale of service backlogs and how long it will take to recover, Ms Banjoko told members that this is  a fluid situations as further service restrictions are now in place. Also, the need to provide a Covid secure environment has meant that some services (e.g. endoscopy) are functioning with reduced productivity. The system is assessing need and prioritising patients in the most urgent clinical need of services.