Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

Presentation from Liz Gaulton, Director of Public Health and Wellbeing on the following:

The Sub-Group received a presentation from Liz Gaulton, Director of Public Health and Wellbeing which provided an update on Covid-19 including data information; information on the Covid-19 Prevention Advice and Response Team; and the arrangements for testing in Coventry.

The presentation included the epi curve of covid-19 cases in Coventry highlighting numbers and rates. There was a clear dip in late June early July when the city was doing really well, however there had been a slight increase in cases over the last two weeks which was in line with the national picture. A bubble map reflected the cases across the city showing all areas had been affected. Further information was provided on the covid -19 deaths in the city, with reference to place of death, compared to all deaths.

The Sub Group were informed of the three key elements of action currently being undertaken: engagement; work with community champions; and the increase in capacity to manage outbreaks. Information was provided on the Covid-19 Prevention Advice and Response Team which included the appointment of a Programme Delivery Manager and the Environmental Health officer posts.

The development of a local testing strategy and infrastructure to underpin the local outbreak plan involved using a combination of mobile and local testing units which included home testing kits; satellite – the option usually used for care homes; the regional testing site; the local testing sites; and mobile testing units. Further information was provided on the location of the testing units.

Members sought clarification as to the accuracy and invasiveness of the tests and to the severity of symptoms for covid-19 enquiring if there was a case for grading the severity of covid-19 cases. Information was provided on the potential for saliva tests.

RESOLVED that the contents of the presentation be noted.

Report attached, Liz Gaulton, Director of Public Health and Wellbeing will report at the meeting

Liz Gaulton, Director of Public Health and Wellbeing introduced the Test and Trace Programme Highlight report which was a fortnightly report produced by Coventry City Council, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and Warwickshire County Council, with the programme leads being the Directors of Public Health for the three areas. The highlight report provided detailed information on the work undertaken in relation to Covid-19 for the week ending 24 July.

The report detailed what had happened during the week which included the delivery of a major outbreak session; a public dashboard launched and enhanced; a shared approach agreed to mapping high risk settings and outbreaks; Coventry and Warwickshire out to tender for the new outbreak testing service; a review and briefing on the National Contain Framework led by Solihull, and the CSW Beacon Rapid Pilot proposal to the DHSC agreed. In addition, the what happens next was also highlighted.

The report set out the meetings held during the week and the upcoming meetings in Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire, along with the key communication messages. A progress summary for the overall programme was also detailed along with activity for this week and the coming week, including any areas of concern/risk for the following workstreams: Communication, Engagement and Participation; Data/Intelligence; Testing; and Joint Health Protection Response. The report used the RAG rating for delivery status of activities. Further details of local delivery activity for the three individual areas were highlighted.

RESOLVED that the contents of the Test and Trace Highlight report be noted.   

Report of Julie Newman, Director of Law and Governance

The Sub Group received a report of Julie Newman, Director of Law and Governance, which provided an overview of the new Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (England) (No 3) Regulations 2020 (SI 2020/750) that came into force on 18 July 2020. An appendix to the report detailed a list of frequently asked questions on what the new powers given to local authorities to help manage Covid-19 meant to individuals.

The report indicated that the Regulations gave local authorities in England powers to impose restrictions on specific premises, planned events and open spaces in local areas, to mitigate local Covid-19 outbreaks. The Regulations sat alongside the England-wide Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No 2) (England) Regulations 2020 (SI 2020/684), which enabled more venues to reopen in England from 4 July.

Under the Regulations a local authority could only impose local restrictions if it was satisfied that they were a necessary and proportionate means of responding to a serious and imminent threat, and it must reassess whether this was still the case every seven days. The Secretary of State could require a local authority to impose restrictions. The restrictions which could be imposed under the Regulations were:

Restrictions on people entering, leaving or being in specified premises. Restrictions could not be imposed in relation to "essential infrastructure" (this term was not defined), vehicles, trains, vessels or aircraft used for public transport or the carriage or haulage of goods and certain other vessels.

Restrictions imposing prohibitions, requirements or restrictions on the organisers or hosts of a specified event, or events of a specified description.

Restrictions on access to public outdoor places. Following the imposition of such a restriction, the local authority and any person who owned, occupied or was responsible for land within the relevant public outdoor space, must take reasonable steps to restrict public access to it. Individuals could not enter a public outdoor space where this had been prohibited by the local authority without a reasonable excuse, such as accessing their home, visiting someone who lived there or for work.

Owners or occupiers of premises or spaces subject to a restriction had rights of appeal. Failure to comply with the restrictions was an offence and fixed penalty notices could be issued. A local authority must keep neighbouring local authorities informed of any restrictions it imposed.

RESOLVED that the new regulations that are now in force that enable local authorities in England powers to mitigate local Covid-19 outbreaks be noted.

Report attached, Pete Fahy, Director of Adult Services will report at the meeting

Pete Fahy, Director of Adult Services reported on the Coventry and Warwickshire Care Homes Covid-19 Outbreak Control Plan. The plan for nursing and residential homes had been put in place with the aim of (i) reducing/maintaining the number of new Covid-19 cases in care homes to zero and (ii) reducing the impact of Covid-19 on care home residents and staff. The plan was structured in the format of the overarching Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire Covid-19 Outbreak Control Plan.

The Executive Summary of the Outbreak Control plan set out the governance arrangements, informing of the Preventing Covid in Care Homes Group who had developed the Plan. The operational response arrangements were detailed. Initial outbreak management would be undertaken by Public Health England including risk assessment, arrangement symptomatic testing, isolation of residents, contact tracing within the home and the provision of advice and guidance. Further management would be undertaken in collaboration with the CCG Care Home quality leads and Infection Prevention and Control Team, alongside the Local Authority, including the organisation of rapid whole home testing and provision of ongoing infection control advice. Simple outbreaks could be taken over by the LA from an outbreak management perspective but could be referred back to PHE should they become complex.

The testing of residents could be undertaken via the local testing provider Arley Medical Services or care homes could request kits from the national portal.

An Action Card for outbreaks had been developed with key actions that needed to be taken by homes, the CCG and the Local Authority which would be reviewed in the light of changing national guidance. A copy was attached at an appendix to the Executive Summary.  

The Plan set out the current position and actions going forward under the following priorities:

·  Community engagement to build trust and participation

·  Preventing infection

·  High risk settings and communities

·  Reducing health inequalities

·  Testing capacity

·  Contract Tracing

·  Data, dynamic surveillance and integration

·  Deployment of capabilities including enforcement.

The Sub Group were provided with clarification about the arrangements for the testing of care home residents and staff.

RESOLVED that the Coventry and Warwickshire Care Homes Covid-19 Outbreak Control Plan be endorsed.

Kirston Nelson, Director of Education and Skills will report at the meeting

Kirston Nelson, Director of Education and Skills, introduced the Educational Setting Outbreak Control Plan which set out the actions that schools and others should take where members of the school community had covid-19 symptoms.

The document was informed by the DfE guidance for full opening of schools which was published on 2^nd July which aimed at schools full opening in the autumn term. The document sat within the context of the Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire Covid-19 Outbreak Control Plan.

The plan set out four sets of scenarios:

Scenario A: Where one person within a school community had coronavirus (Covid-19) symptoms

Scenario B: Where two or more people within a school community had coronavirus (Covid-19) symptoms

Scenario C: Geographical community coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak

Scenario D: Coventry-wide coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.

The scenarios set out the actions that the school needed to take; what an individual should do; what the Health Protection Team would do or the actions for others; and detailed the potential outcomes.

The Sub Group were informed that further updates and versions on the plan would follow as necessary and in line with the appropriate guidance. The document had been shared across the West Midlands region with the option for other local authorities to adopt.

An action card for coronavirus in school settings: management of known or suspected cases was set out at an appendix.

The Sub Group noted that guidance was still awaited as regards to the national opening of schools in the autumn.

RESOLVED that the Educational Setting Outbreak Control Plan be noted.  

Report of Valerie De Souza, Consultant Public Health

The Sub Group considered a report of Valerie De Souza, Consultant Public Health concerning the Test and Trace engagement and participation community champions approach. This approach aimed to harness and support existing community leaders to become ‘Community Champions’ who would work with the local authority to promote clear messages around ‘how to stop Covid-19 spreading’ and who were informed around Test and Trace and how people could access this.

The report indicated that Community Champions were existing leaders in their local area. The expectation was that they would work with the Engagement cell in their work to help spread health protection messages, highlight back incorrect advice and would also be available to support their communities by giving up to date guidance and reassurance. Community Champions would also feedback challenges in their communities in real time to shorten delays of information to the Council and allow colleagues to mobilise more efficiently and effectively. Overall this shortened feedback delay would help the test and trace programme work more effectively to reduce the spread of Covid-19. They would also give frank and honest feedback on communications messages and help work to design tailored communications products.

The Sub Group were informed that Coventry had many community leaders and the intention was to work with existing community leaders as they had trusted relationships within their communities. The remit of the community champion was not ridged, this approach had been designed so that it could accommodate any level of help a community champion felt they could give, from simply spreading the word via their own social media to working intensively with officers to shape leaflets and social media. Training and awareness raising would be provided as well as regular virtual catch ups.

The report detailed the training to be provided for the community champions.

The Sub Committee noted that to date there were over 160 community champions signed up. These 160 individuals represented all communities within Coventry including Migrant Health Champions, Young Peoples Champions, Champion via the CCG, and many from BAME communities.

Clarification was provided on the expectations that the Council had for the community champions, particularly if there was a covid-19 outbreak in the city. The importance of working in partnership, allowing people to do what they felt comfortable with was acknowledged.

RESOLVED that the proposals for the Test and Trace engagement and participation community champions approach be noted.

Any other items of public business which the Chair decides to take as matters of urgency because of the special circumstances involved.

There were no additional items of public business.