Agenda item

The report provides the Committee with an overview of the COVID-19 response and restart of NHS services.

Discussion

The NHS Restart Programme for the restart of services in Kent and Medway reflected national priorities to restart referrals, urgent and critical care and to catch up backlogs of patients waiting to be seen. Other focus areas included ensuring sufficient capacity to care for those infected with Covid-19 in the future and meeting the increased demand for rehabilitation and mental health services for patients who had previously had Covid-19.

It was suggested that it would have been useful for the report presented to contain more specific data and information on priorities and milestones for the restart activities identified and that this was needed in order to help the Committee ascertain how much more work was required to facilitate the full restart of services. It was also asked how it had been determined whether the overall risk of harm to a patient would be increased or decreased by asking them not to attend an appointment during the height of the Covid outbreak. It was stated that there were examples of vulnerable people within the community who had not been offered any support at the height of the pandemic.

The Executive Director of Health Improvement said that data was available and that there was a requirement to provide this to NHS bodies. It would also be presented to the CCG Governing Body and further data could then be shared with the Committee. The Covid-19 pandemic had been unprecedented and had necessitated new ways of working. Patients had been asked not to visit a GP or hospital for a period of time during the pandemic but when they had been encouraged to return, many had chosen not to. There was a need develop confidence and provide help and support for vulnerable groups. The Chief Executive of MFT said that detailed recovery plans were under development and that the details would be shared. Initial modelling showed that the full recovery of services would take into 2021/22.

It was asked how it would be ensured that supply chains for medicines would be protected in the event of a second wave of Covid and whether there was confidence that NHS 11 would be able to cope with demand. The Executive Director said that nationally the NHS had taken a number of steps to ensure the availability of medicines and that contingency plans continued to be developed. There had been some short-term supply issues with some drugs but comparable alternatives were available.

In response to a question that asked where NHS111, urgent care and mental health services would be able to meet demand, the Kent and Medway CCG Deputy Managing Director (Medway) said that in relation to NHS111, a Clinical Assessment Service was increasing the number of clinicians available to the service and that the required number of clinicians and call handlers would be available when the service went live on 1 October. Nationally, more callers potentially requiring urgent care would be encouraged to contact NHS111 for them to be directed to the most appropriate service. Some elements of the service would go live ahead of 1 October. The ability of GPs to access consultants to discuss patient results and whether a referral or hospital admission was necessary had worked well during the Covid pandemic and had enabled more people to be cared for closer to home. The Chief Nurse said that it was anticipated that in the event of a second wave of Covid-19, services would not be stopped to the same extent as they had been earlier in the year.

Decision

The Committee noted and commented on the report and requested that a further update be presented to the next meeting of the Committee.