5 - IJB Director's Report 22-9-22
North Ayrshire Council · 22 September 2022
Back to Integration Joint Board — 22 September 2022 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
Page 1
Integration Joint Board 22 September 2022 Subject : Director’s Report Purpose : This report is for awareness to advise members of North Ayrshire Integration Joint Board (IJB) of developments within North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership (NAHSCP) Recommendation : IJB members are asked to note progress made to date. Direction Required to Council, Health Board or Both Direction to :- 1. No Direction Required X 2. North Ayrshire Council 3. NHS Ayrshire & Arran 4. North Ayrshire Council and NHS Ayrshire & Arran Glossary of Terms NHS AA NHS Ayrshire and Arran IJB Integration Joint Board HSCP Health and Social Care Partnership 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 This report informs members of the Integration Joint Board (IJB) of the work undertaken within North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership (NAHSCP), nationally, locally and Ayrshire wide. 2. BACKGROUND 2.1 This report provides IJB with up to date information on recent activity across the HSCP since the last IJB. The report will also provide COVID related information by exception. 3. CURRENT POSITION National Developments New mental health and well-being platform for employers
Page 2
A new mental health and well-being platform for employers has been launched by the Scottish Government and Public Health Scotland, streamlining employer access to free and reputable health and well-being resources. The resource has been developed in partnership with the Employment and Mental Health Working Group, which brings together the experience and expertise of cross- sectoral representatives from employer organisations, Trade Unions, mental health organisations and public sector partners. Targeted at employers of all sizes in Scotland, from large scale companies to SMEs and the self-employed, the site will also be a useful resource for employees. To access the new resource online, click here. Ayrshire Wide Developments Discharge Without Delay – 7-Minute Briefing As people continue to live longer, our hospital and community infrastructure faces a balancing act to manage growing demand and complexity. Any stay in hospital beyond what is needed for treatment can increase the risk of loss of independence, mobility or other personal outcomes. We can all play a part in improving the patient and staff experience through the Discharge without Delay programme – which engages health and social care in enhancing the discharge journey and preventing delays. A 7-Minute Briefing paper has been compiled, which explains more about the programme. You can read the briefing online here. Additional information can be found on the NHS website. Child Health Report 2022 NHS Ayrshire & Arran has published its latest Child Health Report, which you can read online here. Alongside local authority and HSCP colleagues, NHS A&A is passionate about improving health and social outcomes for infants, children and young people, and this report focuses on the combined pandemic response and recovery plans, as well as celebrating the successes achieved over the last two years. The local Public Health Department would like to extend their thanks to colleagues across NAHSCP who are working hard to protect and improve the health of the public and their families in Ayrshire and Arran.
Page 3
North Ayrshire Developments Near Me Near Me is a video calling service used by many health and public services. However, not everyone who is offered a Near Me appointment will have the data available, Wi-Fi connection or IT equipment/smartphone to be able to take advantage of the service. In addition, they may not have a private place from where they can make the call, or they could be unsure of how it works. Kilwinning Library now has a dedicated Near Me space, equipped with the necessary IT equipment and offering complete privacy to make your call. Library staff can also provide assistance for anyone who needs it. For more information, or to book the Near Me space, call the library on 01294 554699. Staff can also book slots for service users where required. Respite fund applications open for unpaid carers Unity North Ayrshire Carers Centre has opened applications for its Time to Live Fund, where unpaid carers can apply for up to £300 towards respite. An enquiry form can be found online here, or scan the QR code on the poster here. Please note that following initial enquiry Carers Centre staff will be in touch within 3 to 5 working days with an application form. Impact Arts opportunities for young people Impact Arts’ CashBack hub sessions are back, offering young people the chance to explore creativity and imagination through visual and digital art while working with enthusiastic, friendly and skilled tutors. Sessions will run from September through to December on Mondays from 4.30pm to 6.30pm for returners, as well as from 4.30pm to 6.30pm on Thursdays and 12pm to 4.30pm on Saturdays for new participants.
Page 4
If you know of a young person who would benefit from the programme, you can refer online here or contact angela.wilson@impactarts.co.uk. To be eligible for the CashBack to the Future programme, the young person must be aged 14-19 and either: • Living in an area of deprivation (as defined by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation) • At risk of disengaging from school • At risk of engaging in antisocial behaviour • Living with a disability or mental health condition • Over 16 and not in employment, education or training Terrors take top spot at team-building day North Ayrshire Drug & Alcohol Recovery Service (NADARS) staff enjoyed a recent team- building day, thanks to a successful application to the Staff Well-being Fund. The event took a Krypton Factor-style format, with three teams taking part in the fun activities – the Three Towns Titans, Garnock Valley Terrors and Irvine Icons. Staff took part in games and a general knowledge quiz, as well as a scavenger hunt around Irvine that was supported by colleagues in Bridgegate House, Cunninghame House and the Portal, as well as Costa Coffee. Thanks to all who participated in the event, with a particular shoutout going to Heather Livingston and Dawn Campbell for their organisational skills and KA Leisure for providing the venue. A huge well done to the overall winners on the day - The Garnock Valley Terrors! Over 198 applications for the Health and Wellbeing Fund have been received from teams across primary care, social care and third and independent sector for funding for a variety of team activities. Over the past two years a total of £150k has been allocated, and the partnership has committed to continue this funding for a further two years. COVID Update
Page 5
Seasonal flu/Covid vaccination programme for the general public People aged 65 and over will be first in line for a winter booster jab to protect the most vulnerable from COVID-19 and ease the pressure on hospitals. Letters have now been sent out for appointments taking place next month, with the roll-out helping North Ayrshire to get ahead of any potential surge in infections. The booster jabs will be given at the same time as the flu vaccine to those eligible where possible. Appointments for all other priority groups will be made available as the programme progresses – people in those groups should wait until they are contacted or called forward. Click here to read more from NHS Ayrshire & Arran. Asymptomatic Testing Scottish Government Ministers have agreed to recommend to pause the remaining regular asymptomatic testing in place for health and social care staff and in high risk settings. The rationale for the pause is based on: 1. Community prevalence is a key driver of risk of infection in staff working in high- risk settings. At lower prevalence the likelihood that individuals entering these settings are infectious also reduces, and the relative risk of onward transmission into these settings is lower. 2. Immunity in the population is high due to vaccination and natural immunity from prior infection. Individuals at highest risk of severe disease have been offered a fourth vaccine dose. Due to immunity, each individual COVID-19 infection episode has a much lower risk of causing severe disease. 3. The use of lateral flow tests for most routine asymptomatic purposes means that the lower the prevalence the higher proportion of results that are false positives. While this remains low at current levels of community prevalence, it will mean that increasing proportions of staff in high risk settings are out of work unnecessarily. The current COVID prevalence and vaccine effectiveness context also supports the decision to pause at this time: • The 4 nation Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) agreed that the time to pause asymptomatic testing is when prevalence is on a downward trajectory • Data suggest that the recent BA.5 wave has now peaked and prevalence and other epidemiological indicators have improved over the past few weeks • At the time of writing, there has been no move in the COVID 19 UK Alert Level (which remains at Level 3) and the Scottish Government threat level is still at medium. The UK COVID-19 Alert Level Update issued to CMOs and the NHS England National Medical Director on 18 August highlighted:
Page 6
o healthcare pressures have continued to decrease and are now at levels comparable to the August - December 2021 plateau o should positive trends continue CMOs may want to consider a reduction to Level 2 in the coming weeks. o COVID-19 admissions have continued to decrease in all nations, although leading analysis for hospital admissions suggest the rate of decline is slowing • Vaccination continues to be extremely effective against the risk of hospitalisation among all age groups • The effectiveness of the vaccine, as well as improvements to treatments over time, is apparent in the changing number of deaths linked to COVID- 19. COVID-19 as the underlying cause is now a much lower proportion of all deaths in Care Homes than early in pandemic. Pausing the regular asymptomatic testing regime does not mean that there would be no testing in these settings. Symptomatic and outbreak testing would be retained, alongside testing for admission to care homes and to support appropriate clinical diagnosis and treatment pathways. A full list of the testing pathways that will pause and those that would continue is attached. Please note however that the table of testing pathways may change slightly following discussions on updating the guidance. The final table will be updated on the back of issuing the DL and the publication of updated guidance. The Scottish Government will continue to keep all COVID testing polices under review. If there is a change in the assessment of the risk or threat level, for example, due to a new variant that is a concern then a detailed assessment of the management of the risk will be made and consideration will be given as to whether asymptomatic testing should be introduced again to mitigate against severe harm for those most at risk. Timing of the Pause There will be a 3 week lead in time for implementation of any new testing policy change. Therefore, implementation of the pause should be in place by the end of September but an earlier pause by employers/providers is encouraged. Face Coverings in Social Care Settings The Scottish Government issued updated guidance in relation to the use of face masks in social care. The updated guidance recommends that face masks do not routinely need to be worn at all times within social care settings. Instead face masks should be for particular situations (for example following staff judgement, advice from health protection / public health or personal choice). This is because although COVID-19 continues to spread, transmission rates are lower and the virus is currently milder than at earlier stages in
Page 7
the pandemic resulting in a reduction in severity of illness and hospitalisation. Full details are contained within the guidance (attached) and online Coronavirus (COVID- 19): use of face coverings in social care settings including adult care homes - gov.scot (www.gov.scot). Importantly the fundamental principles of Infection Prevention and Control precautions continue to be essential. Health and Social care providers are being recommended to implement the face mask guidance as soon as possible from 14 September, or earlier if they are ready to do so. Healthcare professionals should continue to follow Coronavirus (COVID-19): extended use of face masks and face coverings in hospitals, primary care and wider community healthcare - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) However, where healthcare professionals visit a social care setting, the guidance for social care settings should be adopted. A communication has been issued to HSCP staff and service users to advise of the significant change in guidance. 4. IMPLICATIONS 4.1 Financial None 4.2 Human Resources None 4.3 Legal None 4.4 Equality/Socio-Economic None 4.5 Risk None 4.6 Community Wealth Building None 4.7 Key Priorities None 5. CONSULTATION No specific consultation was required for this report. User and public involvement is key for the partnership and all significant proposals will be subject to an appropriate level of Consultation. Caroline Cameron, Director [Carolinecameron@north-ayrshire.gov.uk/01294 317723] Appendices
Page 8
Nil