Agenda item

3.30pm

A presentation on preparations for the coming winter.

Stephen Chandler introduced the Winter Plan which was based on the previous year’s experience plus the COVID experience.  It needed to be updated for the government’s recently published Adult Social Care Winter Plan and feedback from the discussion at the Oxfordshire Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee last week.

The ‘home first’ service, developed since the pandemic hit, was embedded in the Winter Plan. This helped people to get out of hospital quicker and more safely.  It applied to community hospitals and mental health services as well.

The plan ensured that there will be capacity during the winter, not just with acute beds but including community and hub beds and care homes should they be needed.  A ‘111’ triage service was being developed which will help direct people to the best option and hopefully reduce the numbers turning up at A&E who do not need to be there.

The plan was also about ensuring that staff can maintain levels of commitment and is another example of the strong partnership working in Oxfordshire.  There will be rigorous governance whether through the A&E Delivery Board, the Urgent Care Support Group or daily monitoring of flow in the system.

The government had provided additional funding for infection control and prevention activities.  This helped the sector in many ways including being able to pay staff who are awaiting test results.  The government has also extended entitlement to the flu vaccine and locally this is being promoted as much as possible to reduce the numbers becoming ill this winter.  There will inevitably be reports of difficulty in accessing vaccines but his experience was that these were very much the exception.

The Chairman praised the home care approach and recounted experience of it in his family.  He noted that it not only freed up beds but gave a better health outcome for the patient.

Tracey Rees asked for an update on the Oxfordshire Alliance bid for funding and where the funding was coming from for the additional schemes listed on Agenda Page 63.

Stephen Chandler responded that he did not have an update on the Oxfordshire Alliance to hand but would find out and pass it on.  The funding for the additional scheme would come from the Oxfordshire pooled budgets for winter funding.  Demand always exceeded the available money but extra government funds such as the infection control grant can free up money for these schemes.

Councillor Steve Harrod asked if he was confident that the quantities of flu vaccine that have been ordered will be delivered and if there was a communications plan should supplies run out.

Stephen Chandler responded that vaccines needed to be ordered 12 months in advance but at that time nobody knew there was going to be the pandemic or that the government would extend eligibility, for example to those aged between 50 and 60.  It will be managed by scheduling the less vulnerable people later in the autumn – perhaps December.

Diane Hedges added that NHS England had ordered as much vaccine as they could to top up the GPs’ orders.  While some GPs may run out, there will be another delivery in November.  In cases where GP supplies run out they would communicate directly with the people booked in with them.

Ansaf Azhar noted that community pharmacies in the Thames Valley area had 4,000 requests for vaccines at this time last year, whereas the figure for this year was 17,000.  The resources needed to meet that demand was being addressed.

Councillor Andrew McHugh added, as a former practice manager, that vaccines have to be delivered in tranches due to the limited availability of cold storage.

Tracey Rees reported that the feedback coming to Healthwatch on vaccinations was really positive in terms of GP practices but less so in relation to the NHS App and pharmacies.  She was hearing reports of appointments being repeatedly cancelled.