Susan Crowe disclosed, in the interest of transparency and in relation to Minute 10, that her organisation (Bradford Talking Media) had a contract with the local authority’s Health and Wellbeing department.

(Access to Information Procedure Rules – Part 3B of the Constitution)

Reports and background papers for agenda items may be inspected by contacting the person shown after each agenda item.  Certain reports and background papers may be restricted. 

Any request to remove the restriction on a report or background paper should be made to the relevant Strategic Director or Assistant Director whose name is shown on the front page of the report. 

If that request is refused, there is a right of appeal to this meeting. 

Please contact the officer shown below in advance of the meeting if you wish to appeal. 

(Jane Lythgow - 01274 432270)

There were no appeals submitted by the public to review decisions to restrict documents.

Any referrals that have been made to this Committee up to and including the date of publication of this agenda will be reported at the meeting.

There were no referrals made to the Committee.

The report of the Strategic Director, Health and Wellbeing, (Document “A”) provides an update on the work undertaken by Adult Social Care to support the Health and Social Care needs of vulnerable people in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Members are asked to note the report and to provide feedback on the actionstaken by Department of Health and Wellbeing - Adult Social Care Service in response to Covid-19.

(Imran Rathore – 01274 431730)

The Strategic Director, Health and Wellbeing, presented a report

(Document “A”) providing Members with an update on the work undertaken by Adult Social Care to support the Health and Social Care needs of vulnerable people in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Appended to the report was a detailed account of activity undertaken by Adult Social Care and a copy of the Care Homes Resilience Action Plan developed to support the health and care of vulnerable people.

Members were advised that as part of the Government’s COVID-19 Action Plan the Coronavirus Act was passed.  The Act contained significant changes to duties under the Care Act 2014 including ‘Easements’ to be enacted by Directors of Adult Social Services allowing them to deprioritise care which would otherwise be statutorily required.  It was confirmed such easements had not been enacted in the area and that there were no current plans to do so.  How long those powers would remain and who had the authority to implement them was questioned.  In response the four levels of easement were reported which covered such eventualities as all care staff being ill and unable to deliver their service.  It was stressed that implementation of the Easements would be avoided at all costs. To implement any easements, a recommendation must be made by the relevant Strategic or Assistant Director and only if the service was not able to cope for COVID-10 related reasons.  In Bradford the Strategic Director, together with the Portfolio Holder would make any such recommendation to the Executive, the Chief Executive and the Corporate Management Team. 

A Member raised concerns that elderly people had been isolated from their families and reported he had received many complaints about the experiences of patients and their families. He felt that the isolation of elderly and vulnerable people had not protected them from the virus as this had been transmitted via staff, from other patients or those being discharged from hospitals into care homes.  In response it was explained that the national model had been followed which had focussed on keeping people safe.  Staff had made many sacrifices to ensure patient safety and had instigated other measures such as facilitating garden visits and the introduction of technology to allow people to keep in touch. 

Infections in care homes had been a major concern.  The current level of infections was reported and it was noted that the cases had vastly reduced. Issues around the use of agency staff who worked between differing care settings   had been recognised and the Council had invested in a bank of staff who were trained and inducted to work in one place for a consistent period of time. 

The presentation had reported a rolling programme of re-testing of all staff within care homes whether they displayed symptoms or not. That testing was welcomed, however, a Member requested that additional anti-body testing be conducted to ascertain which people had contracted the virus.  It was explained that anti-body testing was being conducted for NHS staff as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

The report of the Overview and Scrutiny Lead (Document “B”) presents a draft work programme 2020/21 for adoption by the Committee.

Recommended - 

1.    That the information in Appendices 1 and 2 of Document “B” be noted and that it, along with any amendments or additions, is adopted as the Committee’s Work Programme 2020/21.

2.    That the Work Programme 2020/21 continues to be regularly reviewed and updated on a rolling three month basis up to March 2021.

(Caroline Coombes – 01274 432313)

The report of the Overview and Scrutiny Lead (Document “B”) presented a draft work programme 2020/21 for adoption by the Committee.

Appended to Document “B” was a draft work programme 2020/21 containing items which had been scheduled through to October 2020.  Additional issues and items for possible consideration during the year were also appended. 

The draft programme revealed that the impact of COVID-19 on mental health would be discussed at the meeting in October and in response to questions it was confirmed that this would be an informal discussion to scope out what Members would require from a formal report at a later date.

It was suggested that, in line with Government guidance and that of the Centre for Public Scrutiny, that the Scrutiny function should prioritise, and at the current time consider, a narrower programme of work focussing on ‘critical business’ issues and that the work programme should be reviewed and updated on a rolling three- month basis.  This would allow the Committee to respond in a timely and flexible way to the evolving Covid-19 pandemic, the impact on the District’s residents and on health and social care provision. 

The Scrutiny lead reported that the Centre for Public Scrutiny were willing to provide a free Member session on COVID-19 and beyond.  It was agreed that the session would be useful and could potentially be opened up to West Yorkshire colleagues.    

Resolved –

(1)That the information in Appendices 1 and 2 of Document “B” be adopted as the Committee’s Work Programme 2020/21

(2)That the Work Programme 2020/21 continues to be regularly reviewed and updated on a rolling three month basis up to March 2021

ACTION: Overview and Scrutiny Lead