Agenda item

Presentation by Director, North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board

The Director, North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board gave a presentation (previously submitted) updating Members on winter planning, Integrated Urgent Care engagement, vaccinations and Primary Care access.

It was reported that the Tees Valley Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) system had remained under significant pressure, with no reduction in demand during the spring/summer months; this pressure was impacting performance across all providers; and the contributing factors creating the pressure across the system were outlined.

Reference was made to the Tees Valley Local Accident and Emergency Delivery Board (LAEDB) in place as a requirement of the NHS England and Improvement, to assess preparedness for winter against 33 national priorities. Members noted that 15 priorities were in place, 7 priorities had actions in place and were on track to be implemented within timeframes, and 11 priorities had risks associated with their delivery.

The presentation provided details of the initiatives in place to address the following aims; better support people in the community, deliver on ambitions to maximise bed capacity, ensure timely discharge, continuing to support elective activity, infection prevention and control measures, staff vaccinated health care and oversight and incident management arrangements. Reference was also made to the current projects underway to provide support this winter and additional schemes that had been identified. Members noted the current and emerging issues being focused on by the UEC Managed Clinical Network.

Members were provided with a reminder of the proposed new model of integrated urgent care for Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland; an 11 week period of engagement was undertaken between 1 August and 16 October 2022; and the methods of engagement were outlined along with response figures and demographics.

Members noted the additional responses received; that engagement had shown there to be a high level of support for the proposals, with considerations required for a number of factors including accessibility and parking at James Cook University Hospital, capacity and staffing of the new model.

In relation to vaccinations Members were informed of seasonal flu and covid booster vaccination figures for the Tees Valley, including care home residents uptake. It was reported that uptake was lowest in areas of deprivation with uptake at under 30 per cent for flu and under 40 per cent for covid vaccinations; and reference was made to vaccine fatigue and the actions undertaken in the Tees Valley to address this.

Details were provided of the vaccination uptake for frontline healthcare workers, which had seen a reduction when compared to previous years, with flu vaccinations at 48 per cent across the North East and Cumbria and covid vaccinations at 46.7 per cent for frontline healthcare workers and 40.4 per cent for frontline social care workers.

The presentation also provided Members with an overview of primary care in the Tees Valley, with details provided of the configuration and the contract requirements for practices; reference was also made to the Primary Care Network Contract Directed Enhanced Services (DES).

Details were provided of the findings of the GP Patient survey 2022; causes of access challenges were outlined; and improvements to access included increased practice workforce and increased PCN workforce, with 204 staff funded across the Tees Valley from Additional Role Reimbursement Scheme.

Members were also provided with details of additional access to GP appointments on Sundays and Bank Holidays through a Winter Resilience scheme commissioned by the ICB; and the further support to improve access was outlined.

Discussion ensued regarding potential accessibility issues associated with the urgent care facility at James Cook University Hospital; and following a question Members were advised that a Workforce Planning Group was in place for the Tees Valley, working to identify methods to improve recruitment and that virtual wards were an area of growth for the NHS.

Concern was raised by Members regarding vaccination uptake, in particular for healthcare workers; Members were informed that whilst vaccinations were not mandated, a range of targeted work was being undertaken to improve uptake.

RESOLVED – That the update be noted.