Agenda item

Adam Wickings, Winter Director at Kent & Medway Clinical Commissioning Group; James Lowell, Covid-19 Kent and Medway Restart and Recover Programme Director at Kent & Medway Clinical Commissioning Group and Ray Savage, Strategy and Partnership Manager at SECAmb were in attendance for this item at the invitation of the committee.

1.    The Kent and Medway CCG had provided reports with updates on capital resource allocation during the Covid-19 pandemic as well as winter system and escalation planning for 2020-21.

2.    Adam Wickings provided a verbal overview of the winter system and escalation plan for 2020-21. He outlined the function of his role as Winter Director, the pressures on Trusts across Kent and the separation of Covid and non-Covid beds and services. Mr Wickings emphasised that systems had been implemented to relieve local Trusts which had reached service capacity.

3.    The Chair drew the Committee’s attention to the agenda report by NHS England regarding the provision of breast screening. He informed the Committee that he had spoken to representatives from NHS England in advance of the meeting. He welcomed the update that cancer screening services had not been negatively affected by the second national lockdown.

4.    Mr Wickings responded to comments and questions from the committee, including the following:-

a)                a Member noted the impact of the pandemic on clinics and services indirectly responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, such as mental health services. Mr Wickings confirmed that clinics and services for patients suffering with long term effects from Covid-19 were being implemented. Mr Wickings noted further that additional investigations into Covid-19’s impact on mental health services had been undertaken and that multi-agency cooperation was necessary for any response to the findings;

b)                 a Member made specific reference to a local hospice called Ellenor and asked whether charities (which were providing additional support during the pandemic) had received adequate levels of financial support. Mr Wickings undertook to provide a written update around Ellenor Hospice. On the wider contribution of charities, he informed the Committee that NHS funding routes at that time were unlike anything seen previously, which added complication and was constantly changing. He advised that no decisions to remove funding from charities had been made, though could not guarantee such decisions would not be made in the future. The Member requested that such funding decisions be included in a future paper to the Committee;

c)                the agenda report included significant detail about various capital investment projects, and a Member questioned how quickly these could be brought forward. Mr Wickings explained that very few will have an immediate impact and the ability of Trusts to undertake the work was heavily curtailed by the pandemic. The CCG continued to monitor what work could begin soon;

d)                when asked what measures had been implemented to reduce the demand on hospitals in Kent, Mr Wickings confirmed that a system was in operation across all Kent and Medway Trusts which allowed hospitals under less pressure to help those under greater pressure. Measures included diverts and sharing staff. Local plans were also in place across the region to help set out how partners can all support the pressurised NHS services. In addition, the NHS had partnered with Kent County Council and Medway Council to provide “Designated Settings” which saw the opening of three covid-positive care homes to enable elderly patients suffering from Covid-19 to leave acute hospitals. Mr Wickings undertook to notify the Committee the location of those care homes; and

e)                a Member asked for more information on Swale rapid response design, and Mr Wickings undertook to provide the information outside of the meeting.

5.    It was RESOLVED that the Committee:

a)    note the report; and

b)    request an update on the Covid-19 response and winter response for the 27 January 2021 meeting of the committee.