Agenda item

To receive a verbal update regarding Covid-19.

The Board received a verbal update from Dr Melanie Smith (Director of Public Health, Brent Council) detailing the most recent information about the Covid-19 pandemic, with the following points highlighted:

·         Rates in London had now peaked. During Omicron, Brent had been behind some other London Boroughs, and those who had higher numbers early on were now falling, so Brent’s position in comparison had worsened as the rates in Brent increased. Brent had moved up the London average and the 7 day instance rate per 100k was 1,800, above the London average of 1,500.

·         There had been an impact from the testing constraints experienced the previous week when there were limited tests available. The testing numbers had since picked up again and the positivity rate had fallen to under 30%, compared to 34% the previous week, suggesting there was a better handle on infection rates, although they were still high.

·         The infection rate for over 60 year olds was high, which was a concern, as those age groups were more likely to become ill.

·         The infection rates had not peaked in children and were still rising, which was likely to continue as children returned to schools following the winter break. There were lower levels than desired of vaccination uptake for 12-15 year olds and while there were many who now could receive a second dose, there were still a lot of children who had not yet had their first dose. The Board heard it was important those age groups were vaccinated not only to protect children but also because children were a driver for infection in the community.

·         It had been shown that the Omicron variant was much more transmissible, reflected in the very high infection rates and the rapidity in which those rates increased. The variant was introduced to a population in the UK with high levels of immunity as a result of vaccination or previous infection, which had meant those very high levels of infection had not translated to high levels of hospital admissions, serious illness or death. Dr Melanie Smith attributed the vaccination programme for the reason morbidity and mortality had been weathered and expressed that receiving a booster was critically important.

·         Inequalities in vaccination uptake persisted, and Dr Melanie Smith advised that vaccination rates were lower in members of Black communities, those with Learning Disabilities, and those with a Mental Illness. Dr Melanie Smith advised that while there was a national drive for boosters, it was important locally to ensure focus and to continue with targeted efforts.

The Chair thanked Dr Melanie Smith for her update and invited comments and questions from those present, with the following raised:

·         The Board discussed the need for more pharmacies in the South of the Borough to be vaccinating the Brent population. Robyn Doran (Chief Operating Officer, CNWL / Brent ICP Director) advised that she had wrote about this issue on behalf of Brent to NWL NHS. Fana Hussain (Borough Lead Director for Brent, NWL CCG) had also followed up with pharmacies who were willing to vaccinate and agreed that it was much easier and more convenient for people to use pharmacies to get vaccinated. She was working with NHSE to get more pharmacies accredited. It was agreed that on behalf of the Health and Wellbeing Board a letter would be written to NHSE endorsing the requests already made by the CCG, local MPs and local councillors for vaccination to be offered in pharmacies in the South of the Borough.

·         In terms of information on the times and locations of vaccinations, Fana Hussain advised that all relevant information on vaccinations was included on the local authority website. Community Champions advised people in the community where and when they could get vaccinated, and were also equipped with information to answer common queries about the vaccine, such as its effect on fertility. More government funding had been received before the holiday period to strengthen the Community Champion Programme, and another round of grants would be announced soon for organisations to bid for.

·         Dr M C Patel (NWL CCG) emphasised the importance of following up those with long term conditions who had not received vaccination, particularly considering the data showed a correlation between hypertension and hospital admission. He added that advertisements in day centres for those with Learning Disabilities would be useful to get that cohort vaccinated. Dr Ketana Halai (NWL CCG) added that, working with the Public Health Team, Local Authority, and Learning Disability Team at CNWL, they were looking to make reasonable adjustments for those with Learning Disabilities to increase the vaccination uptake in those groups, using the Advocacy Team. Jo Kay (Healthwatch Brent) added that within Healthwatch she was linked to other Voluntary and Community (VCS) Organisations in the Learning Disability community and was happy to do some joint working on information and advice settings. She would link with Dr Ketana Halai outside of the meeting.

·         Patients who were not able to leave their homes were still being offered vaccination in their homes, and the GP Forum had asked Primary Care Network (PCN) Clinical Directors to update their lists of housebound patients so that unvaccinated patients could be pursued where necessary. Fana Hussain added that vaccination of housebound patients was reviewed on a daily basis, and every housebound patient should have received an offer although may not have taken it up for various reasons. There were 3 different teams available to conduct vaccination in patient homes. The Board requested that information about home vaccination for housebound patients was added to the local authority website alongside the other vaccination information.

·         A new therapy for Covid-19 patients who were particularly clinically vulnerable was proving successful. Those who were eligible, which was a very strict and specific criteria, had been sent PCR home testing kits so that if they experienced Covid-19 symptoms they could test immediately as the therapy was most effective if started quickly.

RESOLVED:

i)              To note the Covid-19 update.

ii)             For the Health and Wellbeing Board to write to NHSE endorsing requests made by the CCG, local MPs and local councillors for vaccination to be offered through pharmacies in the South of Brent.