Agenda item

2.20 pm

To ensure progress against the Committee’s agreed actions and recommendations and to seek the Committee’s support for a formal request to be made that a local review of Care Home discharges be undertaken (draft letter attached).

The Chair reminded the Committee that the last meeting was only under a month ago and that a reasonable progress had been made across outstanding actions with a lot of commissions made from the previous meeting.  The Chair added that she would be looking forward to receiving that information at the end of June. 

The Chair invited Cllr Paul Barrow to give an update on infection control and the meeting she and Cllr Barrow had with Karen Fuller earlier this week.

Cllr Barrow read out the following statement:

‘Members may recall the report I submitted to and which was accepted by HOSC 18 months ago to try to improve infection control protocols in care homes, and other institutions holding vulnerable residents, and which might reduce introduction and spread of further Covid outbreaks, winter flu and infections such as Norovirus.

There were three recommendations mainly based around considering the adoption of the Bushproof document, which utilised the experience of the SARS epidemic of 2003 and which this member, with a background in infectious disease and One Health, found to be superior to the government documents available in terms of detail, explanatory information, containing everything in one document and also comparing its recommendations with government guidelines.

On Tuesday Cllr Hanna, Helen Mitchell and I met Karen Fuller, Director of Adult Services, to discuss the recommendations. I refer members to the excellent summary of the meeting produced by Helen, with additional information from Karen and a few minor typos corrected by myself and which will be circulated in due course.

We recognised the severe limitations in OCC developing their own approach to infection control since they, like all local authorities were required to follow central government guidelines as part of the command-and-control framework introduced early in the pandemic.

The Bushproof document was produced early in 2020 and would therefore not have been available during the first and worst phase of the pandemic. However, this member considers the document to be more valuable than others available and recommends that consideration continues to be given to its inclusion for guidance of care homes in Oxfordshire and elsewhere in the UK.’

Helen Mitchell added that there was an invitation from Karen Fuller to the Committee to go and see some care homes and speak to care home staff about their infection control procedures. Barbara Shaw and Cllr Elizabeth Poskitt volunteered to join Cllr Barrow in visiting care homes.

Ansaf Azhar (Corporate Director of Public Health) commented that he was not aware of the trial.  The trial may be able to supplement if there was the evidence but should not replace national guidance. 

The Chair thanked Ansaf Azhar for that information.

The Chair drew Members’ attention to the letter that she would want to send to Cllr Bearder and the Board Secretaries of the ICB, OH and OUH to follow up formally against the backdrop of the high court judgement in respect of discharges to care homes. 

It was RESOLVED to note the tracker, for the note from Cllr Paul Barrow to be circulated to the Committee and to note that Barbara Shaw, Cllr Elizabeth Poskitt and Cllr Paul Barrow agreed to visit care homes and speak to care home staff about their infection control procedures.

It was also RESOLVED to agree that the Chair would send a letter send to Cllr Bearder and the Board Secretaries of the ICB, OH and OUH to follow up formally against the backdrop of the high court judgement in respect of discharges to care homes.