Agenda item

1.            The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, Mrs C Bell, gave an update on the following issues:-

Digital support for quitting smoking and reducing alcohol – two new apps had been launched to help people track and reduce their alcohol consumption and support them to quit smoking. The existing Better Health campaign encompassed several health improvement initiatives, addressing drinking, smoking and healthy eating.

Forthcoming Public Health campaigns - the next round of public health campaigns would target workplace health and mental health and wellbeing for young people, with resources aimed at a range of age groups.

Flu vaccination – the winter flu vaccination campaign would be launched on 22 September, encouraging people to take up their invitation to have the vaccination as soon as possible.   

World Suicide Prevention Day – this would be on 10 September, and resources available, as part of the Release the Pressure campaign, would include a free mental health text service. There would be focus on the effects of the covid-19 pandemic as this had brought new anxieties for many people.

2.            The Director of Public Health, Mr A Scott-Clark, presented a series of slides and gave an update on the response to covid-19, including the following:-

Infection rates – although rates had risen, Kent was below the national average of cases. Clusters were being identified, for example, suspected cases in schools and among travellers returning from abroad.

Testing – the national testing programme had reached ‘pillar 2’ of regional and postal testing, and demand was outstripping capacity, but the latter would necessarily be limited by laboratory capacity.  Emphasis would be on encouraging the public to persevere with booking a test but only if they had symptoms of raised temperature, new persistent cough and loss of taste and/or smell. More test sites were being established, for example, at the University of Kent at Canterbury, to serve students arriving for the new academic year, and new walk-in sites in Gravesend, Folkestone and Thanet.  

Contact tracing – the south east performed well in terms of tracing and south east local authorities were keen that the more local control of contact tracing be passed to them and that they were able to set up local systems.

Safe events – the County Council was working with district colleagues and the police to establish a way of managing public gatherings and events safely, following Government guidance about social distancing.  

Winter pressures – the usual winter pressures on health services would be more difficult to manage this year as the usual increase in bronchial and respiratory illness would be exacerbated by covid-19.  

Outbreak control plan – this was being stress-tested and was being managed with Public Health England. Generally, Kent was managing relatively well but he emphasised the importance of continuing to observe guidelines – frequent and thorough hand washing, wearing face coverings and social distancing – to manage and control the spread of infection.

National Institute of Health Protection - this new organisation had been established and was working with Public Health England nationally and locally. Mr Scott-Clark placed on record his thanks to Public Health England colleagues for all the work and very long hours they had put in to manage the pandemic.  

3.            Mr Scott-Clark responded to comments and questions from the committee, including the following:-

a)    asked to comment on the local availability of tests and recent media coverage of people having to travel to Scotland to be tested, he reiterated that the availability of testing was a national rather than a local issue as demand across the country was currently outstripping capacity, and reminded of the importance of being tested only if covid-19 systems were present. Testing appointments were managed centrally by the Department of Health via a portal, rather than locally. The Government had already been made aware by local councils of concerns about the local availability of testing; and

b)    concern was expressed by a Member who had been invited to take a test by post, to be returned by courier, which he had done.  A few days later he received a negative result. He had no symptoms so had not been seeking a test and was concerned about the resources being used to target people speculatively when there was so much pressure from people wanting tests and not being able to access them.  Mr Scott-Clark explained that random selection testing was being conducted by IPSOS, on behalf of the NHS, to gain a statistical overview.

4.            It was RESOLVED that the verbal update be noted, with thanks.