Agenda item - Sussex-Wide Winter Plan and Brighton & Hove Cold Weather Plan

Joint report of the Managing Director, Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group and the Executive Director, Health and Adult Social Care (copy attached)

RESOLVED - That the Board has reviewed and commented on the Sussex-Wide Winter Plan 2021-22 Update and on the Brighton & Hove Cold Weather Plan and notes and approves its contents.

27.1    The Board considered a joint report of the Managing Director, Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group and the Executive Director, Health and Adult Social Care, the purpose of which was to provide the Board with an update on progress to date in relation to winter planning for 2021/22, both in terms of Sussex-wide and local planning.

27.2    It was explained that the overall purpose of the Sussex-wide winter plan was to ensure that the system was able to effectively manage the capacity and demand pressures anticipated during the winter period between November and March. The purpose of the plan was to ensure that local systems remained resilient and able to manage demand surge effectively caused by seasonal illness (in addition to Covid), falls etc, caused due to icy weather conditions and exacerbation of respiratory illnesses and a range of long-term conditions due to the colder weather.

27.3    The Executive Director Health and Adult Social Care, Rob Persey, explained that the mechanisms in place across disciplines and with health and other partners had worked well although the pressures placed on the workforce remained a challenge. An added pressure in 2021/22 had been the need for the NHS to recover from previous waves of Covid, particularly in terms of addressing the backlog of elective procedures due to the cancellation of operations etc. when the health system had been forced to concentrate resources on Covid outbreaks.

27.4    There was a requirement that the Plan be updated annually and health and care systems had been planning systematically for winter surge pressures over a number of years, integral to that process was assessment of how well the previous years plans had met demand and using learning from that to inform planning for subsequent year(s).

27.5    Councillor Bagaeen referred to the level of detail provided but sought clarification regarding the opportunities which were in place to enable face to face consultations to take place. The Managing Director of Brighton and Hove CCG, Lola Banjoko, confirmed that one of the key messages was that there was access to such appointments for those who needed them, arrangements were also in place to protect the vulnerable.

27.6    The Chief Executive of Healthwatch, David Liley confirmed that the current arrangements had not been without problems, as those who were disabled or did not have access to could be disadvantaged. Many found it easier to seek access to or raise queries regarding primary care services by telephone but the pressures placed on services had led to delays sometimes as long as 40 minutes. That was unacceptable, the system was complex and measures to address this were under discussion

27.7    In answer to questions, the Executive Director outlines the discharge process and measures in place to ensure that those leaving care/hospital had a warm home to go to.

27.8    The Public Health Principal, Becky Woodiwiss outlined the contents of the Brighton and Hove Cold Weather Plan and the how it dovetailed with the NHS and other plans.

27.9    RESOLVED – That the Board has reviewed and commented on the Sussex-Wide Winter Plan 2021-22 Update and on the Brighton and Hove Cold Weather Plan.