Agenda and minutes

The Chairman will announce details of the arrangements in case of fire or other events that might require the meeting room or building’s evacuation.

(If any) – receive

Apologies were received from Fiona Peskett, Mehboob Khan, Anne-Marie Dean, Elaine Greenway, Cllr Nisha Patel and Cllr Damian White.

Members are invited to disclose any interest in any of the items on the agenda at this point of the meeting.

Members may still disclose any interest in any item at any time prior to the consideration of the matter.

There were no disclosures of interest.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the Committee held on 24^th February 2021 and to authorise the Chairman to sign them.

The minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 24^th February 2021 were agreed as a correct record and, due to COVID-19, will be signed by the Chairman at a later date.

Verbal update to be given

The report presented to the Board gave an update on the Borough Partnership (BP) incentive.

The Board noted that, alongside the CCGS, areas of improvement can be highlighted and outcomes can be drawn from them. Members noted that the BP had only been represented by a design group and a roadmap had been produced to give direction as to where the BP needs to be in April 2021.

Board members were pleased to hear that the BP was to be integral to the Board and the Board would have the responsibility to produce the Health and Wellbeing strategy with the practical function to implement it. Board members wished for there to be Primary Care Network representations on the Board.

Verbal update to be given

The Board received an update from the Director of Public Health regarding COVID-19.

The Board members were pleased to note that the rate in havering had reduced significantly to 30 new cases per 100,000 compared to the peak at Christmas 2020 of 1,200 per 100,000. Members were concerned that rates in the 20-40 year old age range was higher but the increase had not affected the overall trend of Havering. Members noted that schools had coped well with the reintroduction of pupils but were still cautious with testing and face coverings.

Members noted that the number of COVID beds in BHRUT hospitals had reduced from 500 to 30 with a reduction in ITU beds also reducing the pressure on BHRUT hospitals.

The Board were updated on the vaccination programme and noted that as at 28^th March 2021 there had been over 80% uptake in the 50+ age range and is close to the England average. The Board noted that the uptake in the BAME communities was still lower and the Council was working on providing information to these communities to increase their uptake.

The Director of Public Health briefed the Board on the 3 variants of COVID-19 that were of concern globally; the Kent variant, the South African variant and the Brazilian variant. The Board member were pleased when they were updated that the death rate had decreased.

Report and appendix attached

It was explained to the Board that Local authorities were required to revise their Covid-19 Outbreak Management Plans (OMPs), and to have submitted a first draft OMP to NHS Test and Trace by 12 March.

The Board noted that the second version of Havering’s OMP took into account the additional tools and resources that had been made available and focused on disrupting intermission and suppressing infection rates on a local level. It was also noted that the OMP could be changed in accordance the changing characteristics of COVID-19.

The next meeting of the Health and Wellbeing Board is to be held on 28^th April 2021 at 1pm via Zoom.

The next meeting of the Board would be held on Wednesday 28^th April 2021 at 1.00 pm.