Agenda item

To follow

The Sub-Committee consider a report outlining the ONE Bromley Winter Plan 2023-24.

The ONE Bromley system developed a Winter Plan each year which described how seasonal pressures would be mitigated and managed locally. The Winter Plan built on learning from previous years, and responded to any new national policy change and local system changes since the previous plan. The co-ordination and delivery of a joint Winter Plan placed Bromley in a strong position to respond effectively to the changeable position through winter. The joint plan set out how local services would be arranged, expanded, flexed and work together to meet the pressures experienced throughout the period and manage risk as a system. Through this residents would be supported to make the most cost-effective and sustainable use of joint resources, while enabling better outcomes and ensuring they were able to provide services for our most vulnerable.

The Associate Director – Urgent Care, Hospital Discharge and Transfer of Care Bureau, SEL ICB (“Associate Director”) advised that the 2023-24 Joint Winter Plan described how health and care services across Bromley would organise themselves and work together to ensure local residents were able to access the services they needed and stay well throughout winter. The Plan was set out in two sections:

Section 1 – described the work that would take place before winter to reduce risk to vulnerable residents; and,

Section 2 – described, under the 3 pillars of winter planning, the activity that would take place during winter to increase capacity across key health and care services, manage the impact of seasonal pressures and viruses and maintain oversight to manage the system throughout.

Engagement with a wide range of stakeholders had taken place to inform the Plan with specific, special interest working groups set up around key themes to develop the plans in these areas. Workforce engagement had also taken place throughout the development of the Plan including engagement of primary care, community health providers, social care workforce and providers and the voluntary sector.

In response to questions, the Place Executive Lead – SEL ICS (Bromley) (“Place Executive Lead”) said that the winter in Australia had been quite severe, but not as bad as last year – this was often a good predictor of what would happen in the UK. There were some COVID-19 variants of interest in circulation and the flu and COVID-19 vaccination programmes had been brought forward to start the following week. The flu vaccination could be purchased, but this was not the case for COVID-19 vaccinations – to receive the vaccine residents needed to be in one of the eligible groups, 65+ and those who were clinically vulnerable. The schools flu vaccination programme would also start in the next week or so, with an increase in the number of school years that would be vaccinated. In terms of advice relating to COVID-19, the Place Executive Lead said that the national guidance was to take sensible precautions if you felt unwell, but there was no requirement to isolate or wear a facemask. They would recommend that if someone was unwell and thought they had COVID-19 they should purchase a test, if they were able to do so, and take steps to avoid contact with others.

The Chairman thanked the Associate Director and Place Executive Lead for their update to the Sub-Committee.

RESOLVED that the ONE Bromley Winter Plan 2023-24 be endorsed.