Issue - meetings

To update the Health and Wellbeing Board on a comprehensive winter plan with input and engagement across system partners in Brent.

Tom Shakespeare (Managing Director, Brent Integrated Care Partnership) and Antoinette Jones (Head of ICP Delivery, NHS NWL) introduced the report, which set out the winter schemes that the Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) would be implementing in Brent with all key partners. In introducing the report, the following key points were highlighted:

·         The system was now into winter and the acute system was under significant pressure. As a borough partnership, the ICP took its responsibility in supporting the system very seriously and had taken a number of actions to progress the support to the system during winter pressures, including escalation meetings and focused support around discharge.

·         The focus of winter planning was on a whole system approach, including incorporating prevention, housing, and wider social determinant interventions within the system.

·         In relation to prevention in order to keep people well in the first place, an area of focus was on covid and flu vaccinations, with a robust vaccination programme across all cohorts. There were a number of community pharmacists, local Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and Brent Civic Centre engaged in the vaccination programme. At the time of the meeting, the ICP had been notified that the majority of patients residing in care homes had been vaccinated as planned. Within the area of prevention and keeping residents well, the Brent Well and Warm Service offered advice and vital support to vulnerable residents to help keep bills down.

·         Subject to final approval, primary care would increase additional appointments in core hours, in addition to the existing enhanced appointments offered at weekends and bank holidays.

·         There was now a primary care programme supporting carers with their health and wellbeing while they cared for loved ones to help reduce hospital admissions of carers and subsequently the person they cared for.

·         Across the system, the ICP was engaging with key stakeholders and partners and there were community strategies in place to ensure residents could be navigated to the right care offer and receive the right service at the right time. Self-care messaging would begin in November 2023. In addition, the wider NWL winter communications and engagement plan would support patients and residents with information about what services they could access during winter.

·         A Children and Young People Campaign had launched in September 2023,

·         BHM were reaching out to homeless people and asylum seekers to encourage vaccinations. There was Brent wide housing need preparedness operating through a number of services, geared towards supporting those experiencing homelessness and sleeping rough, including Turning Point, Brent Outreach Link Service, and the winter shelter which would be open 7 nights a week from the coldest period in the year.

·         London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust (LNWUHT) would be opening additional beds to support the system over winter, and Central London Community Healthcare (CLCH) would support Brent through rapid response times, preventing admissions to hospitals. The ICP knew that, in 2022-23, CLCH delivered a 98% response rate and managed over 400 referrals a month, and that support was expected to continue into  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5