Agenda item

To receive an update from the Council’s representative on matters considered at the last meeting (15 September 2020). 

26.1          Members received an update from the Council’s representative on the Gloucestershire Health Overview (HOSC) on matters discussed at the meeting on 15 September 2020. She referred Members to the fact that a report had been circulated with the Agenda at Pages No. 52-54 and she would just highlight some of the salient points contained in that report.

26.2          The Council’s representative stated that winter planning was currently underway although it was a little different this year which was why it was being called Gloucestershire Winter Sustainability and Surge Management Plan. In essence, there were four plans dependant on which direction the COVID-19 virus was heading and what level it was at. She indicated that this meeting had taken place a month ago, so things had moved on quite quickly and it was now more likely that a second peak of the virus was coming. What was not known was whether this would coincide with the winter flu outbreak or whether the surge of winter flu that was normally experienced would be tempered by the fact that everyone was wearing masks and washing their hands more frequently. Basically, attempts were being made to predict the unpredictable and preparing for this with four different scenarios with a plan in place to tackle each one. The Council’s representative also drew particular attention to the fact that the temporary changes implemented as part of the COVID-19 response would be continuing for a further six months until the end of March 2021 to enable the winter planning. She stressed that the changes which included the arrangements at Cheltenham accident and emergency department were temporary and essential for winter planning. The temporary extension would enable the return of non COVID-19 health services, making full use of capacity available, and recovery of the maximum elective activity possible between now and the winter peak. The service was already tackling reduced staffing levels due to self-isolation and so for safety reasons it was important that the temporary changes remained in place in order to meet the challenges and cope with winter pressures in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic. The temporary arrangements would not be reviewed for six months as opposed to the previous three month review as this would mean a review in December which would be the peak of the winter season as well as the Christmas period. Other areas mentioned included Fit for the Future service review which would form the main item of business for the next meeting of the HOSC in October. The review was continuing, albeit at a fairly slow pace, and was based on normal demand rather than COVID-19 demand, focusing on the medium to long term rather than the short-term response to a crisis. There was a lot of speculation that the current changes would set a precedent for the future and would ultimately become permanent but the representative stressed that assurances had been given that this was not the case. Also on the website if Members were interested, was the Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group Performance Report which made for an interesting read. The Council’s representative particularly highlighted that the results were good, especially for cancer diagnosis and treatment, with the two week target achieved in 97.8% of cases and the 62 day national target to start treatment within two months being achieved in 79.3% of cases which was above the national average. Finally, the Council’s representative referred to a number of other reports which Members could access if they were interested to gain more information on how the Health Service in Gloucestershire was progressing.

26.3          The Chair thanked the representative for her report, and it was

RESOLVED           That the Gloucestershire Health Overview and Scrutiny Update be NOTED.