Agenda item

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5.1.        The Board considered a report providing an update on work to implement a revised East Sussex integration programme in 2020/21 as a result of the changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

5.2.        The Board asked which new models of care that have emerged during Covid-19 would be kept and expanded. The Board was particularly keen to see the continuation of the community hubs, given their important role in prevention.

5.3.        Vicky Smith, Programme Director - East Sussex Health and Social Care Transformation, explained that the new models of care that partners are keen to retain or develop further included:

• the new community hub arrangements, which have helped with patient flows, as well as improved working between East Sussex County Council, the East Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), district and borough councils, and community and voluntary sector (CVS).
• Remote working and virtual team meetings, which has aided the recently established integrated locality health and social care teams. This is due to the fact that finding appropriate estate for social workers, district nurses and occupational therapists to co-locate was proving to be a challenge.
• The co-ordinated whole system support for care homes during the pandemic, which seen a dramatic improvement in working together across primary, community, adult social care and the independent sector – and between commissioners and providers – to support care and nursing homes.

5.4.        Keith Hinkley, Director of Adult Social Care and Health, explained that it was important now for all partners to think about what the best ways were of doing things collaboratively so that they can be maintained in the future. Partners are likely to be pragmatic for the rest of the year and continue to support the arrangements that have been developed over the last four months. After that time, it will be necessary to decide on the long term future of these services and whether they can be enhanced. 

5.5.        The Board asked what the plans were for re-engaging the public in relation to the East Sussex Health and Social Care Plan (ESHSCP).

5.6.        Vicky Smith said that the key principles of the ESHSCP will not have changed following the pandemic and much engagement around these already took place prior to publishing the current plan.  Partner organisations are now in the process of determining which elements of the ESHSCP need to be adjusted in light of Covid-19. Once this process is complete, partners will take a view of which elements of the revised ESHSCP they will need to conduct engagement with the public and patients. for example, proposed new services.

5.7.        The Board asked about the impact of agency staff working in more than one care home during the pandemic.

5.8.        Keith Hinkley explained that movement of agency staff between care homes during the pandemic has been identified nationally as an issue. It is the case, however, that there is roughly a 10% shortfall in the social care workforce nationally and that creates an environment where there is a disproportionate amount of agency staff. East Sussex County Council has invested heavily in increasing fee rates in home care and care home sector, which has helped to some extent, as well as offering an improved training package for care workers. Something, however, needs to be done long term at a national level to enable greater investment in more care staff. There is a national Adult Social Care Taskforce established to focus on a response during the winter period to a potential second surge, and it is really important that work translates into longer term improvements to recruitment and retention.

5.9.        The Board asked about how community response to the pandemic can be retained, for example, new organisations like Heart in Hastings which within a couple of weeks had 1,000 volunteers.

5.10.      Keith Hinkley explained there has been a commitment to a more localised approach but this has been slow to develop but discussions and mobilisation of resources during the pandemic at a local level has seen significant progress made. It is important now for statutory agencies to work with local networks to develop responses to the issues arising from Covid-19, such as loneliness. step. It is also important that in the future these local groups are integrated with primary, community and social care services to ensure there is a system in place that fulfils statutory responsibilities and also delivers responsive local services to those in need.

5.11.      The Board RESOLVED to:

1) Note the work that has been taking place to review the East Sussex health and social care integration programme objectives and projects, taking account of changes to our integrated working due to COVID-19; and

2) Receive a further report in September which will set out in more detail the proposed integration programme objectives and projects