Briefing - 08.04.20
Business as we can – The health and social care partnership is working hard to prepare for the challenging times we face and ensure measures are in place to support the increasing demands being placed on our services.
The Health & Social Care Moray COVID Response Group meets three time a week and works closely with our resilience partners to ensure we have co-ordinated tactical and operational response on national, regional and local levels
Many of the services we normally deliver have been suspended. Teams are reorganising how we do business to prioritise the services we continue to provide based on critical need and risks.
Our focus continues to be on keeping people safe, well and cared for at home first. For many people Health & Social Care Moray colleagues will be the only people they have any contact with. It is so important for everyone to help stop the spread of coronavirus. We give thanks for all the continuing efforts to help us do everything possible to limit its impact in Moray.
– Pam Dudek, Chief Officer
Chief Officer secondment – Pam Dudek, Chief Officer, leaves on 20th April to take up a 12-month secondment to NHS Highland as Deputy Chief Executive. Simon Bokor-Ingram has been appointed as interim Chief Officer of Moray’s health and social care partnership. He comes on secondment from his current post as Director of Community Health and Social Care and Chief Officer of the Shetland Islands Integration Joint Board.
Governance arrangements – The Moray Integration Joint Board (MIJB) will continue its business through the scheduled meetings which will be held virtually for the foreseeable future. Jonathan Passmore, the Chair, will meet twice weekly (again virtually) with the Chief Officer. A weekly briefing will be sent to Board members every Wednesday. Development sessions have been cancelled at the request of the Chair for three months initially with review later.
Assurance committees will continue virtually as scheduled. Chairs and the Chief Officer will agree the level of business as follows:
In this rapidly evolving situation, it is of paramount importance that they take steps to look after their own health and wellbeing. As well as looking out for one another, employee support resources are available including self-referral to the new Grampian Psychological Resilience Hub through the NHS Grampian COVID-19 website.
Staff testing – NHS staff have been given access to testing for coronavirus. The aim of key worker testing is to protect service critical function. Staff can request testing if they meet eligibility criteria and will be offered an appointment to attend a Moray testing location.
Assessment hub – The Grampian COVID-19 Assessment Hub is now live. It will handle calls triaged initially through NHS 24s 111 phone line from members of the public who are experiencing ongoing symptoms of coronavirus and may need further advice and assessment.
As well as providing information and reassurance, the 24/7 Hub will facilitate mainly virtual consultations using NHS Near Me and face-to-face scheduled consultations for those individuals who may need further clinical assessment. These people will be seen in dedicated hubs in Elgin or Aberdeen, meaning both GP and hospital resources can focus on managing patients with other health conditions. Currently the virtual triage is working exceptionally well, with low foot fall for face-to-face, further protecting the public and professionals.
The Elgin Assessment Hub is co-located with GMED out of hours’ services and the Moray Community Response Team which is being stepped up to manage the health and care needs of people at the end of life who remain at home.
Delayed discharges – A key priority is to free up NHS hospital beds and work is happening at pace to bring delayed discharge down to zero. The Moray number reported on 8 April was 13.
An Enhanced Discharge Hub supported by members of the Hospital Discharge, Reablement, Care at Home and Commissioning teams is enabling and supporting discharge to care homes across Moray and to the temporary Duffus Wing at Spynie Care Home in Elgin. The residential social care wing has been opened by Health & Social Care Moray utilising staff redeployed from internal services and from external providers. It will support individuals who are not ready to go straight home but no longer require a hospital bed.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – Updated national guidance on the use of PPE was published on 2 April and issued to staff. This is designed to improve the levels of safety for both health and social care staff in a variety of settings and for individuals at the highest level of risk from coronavirus.
There continue to be concerns from teams over the availability of PPE and we are working hard to increase stocks through the separate local authority and NHS supply routes.
External providers – We are working closely with all our external service providers to provide guidance on infection control, build on their business continuity arrangements and ensure the continuation of essential services. In line with internal services, external providers are required to adhere to the national guidance on the use of PPE which is being distributed through the local authority route.
Grampian Humanitarian Assistance Centre (HAC) – The HAC has been established to coordinate resilience partnership, third sector and community resources for people on the shielded patients list (the extremely vulnerable who are at higher risk) and for members of the wider public who are experiencing difficulties.
The HAC went live on 30 March and in its first week offered help and support to over 600 people across Grampian. Over 1,200 individuals, 475 community groups and 30 businesses registered to support people in need.
Anyone can ask for help and support, even if it is on behalf of someone else. Visit www.GCAH.org.uk or call freephone 0808 196 3384 (8am-8pm 7 days a week).
Business as we can – The health and social care partnership is working hard to prepare for the challenging times we face and ensure measures are in place to support the increasing demands being placed on our services.
The Health & Social Care Moray COVID Response Group meets three time a week and works closely with our resilience partners to ensure we have co-ordinated tactical and operational response on national, regional and local levels
Many of the services we normally deliver have been suspended. Teams are reorganising how we do business to prioritise the services we continue to provide based on critical need and risks.
Our focus continues to be on keeping people safe, well and cared for at home first. For many people Health & Social Care Moray colleagues will be the only people they have any contact with. It is so important for everyone to help stop the spread of coronavirus. We give thanks for all the continuing efforts to help us do everything possible to limit its impact in Moray.
– Pam Dudek, Chief Officer
Chief Officer secondment – Pam Dudek, Chief Officer, leaves on 20th April to take up a 12-month secondment to NHS Highland as Deputy Chief Executive. Simon Bokor-Ingram has been appointed as interim Chief Officer of Moray’s health and social care partnership. He comes on secondment from his current post as Director of Community Health and Social Care and Chief Officer of the Shetland Islands Integration Joint Board.
Governance arrangements – The Moray Integration Joint Board (MIJB) will continue its business through the scheduled meetings which will be held virtually for the foreseeable future. Jonathan Passmore, the Chair, will meet twice weekly (again virtually) with the Chief Officer. A weekly briefing will be sent to Board members every Wednesday. Development sessions have been cancelled at the request of the Chair for three months initially with review later.
Assurance committees will continue virtually as scheduled. Chairs and the Chief Officer will agree the level of business as follows:
- Audit, Performance & Risk - Quarterly Performance Report (basic format); Chief Internal Auditor Update (by exception only); Strategic Risks – to be covered in weekly briefs
- Clinical & Care Governance - A high-level fortnightly Chief Officer report will be generated and issued on a Monday to give oversight and assurance on matters of quality and risk. A fortnightly meeting will take place virtually on a Wednesday with the Chair of the Committee, the Chief Social Work Officer, Director of Nursing (HSCP) and Chief Officer to review and add scrutiny to the report.
In this rapidly evolving situation, it is of paramount importance that they take steps to look after their own health and wellbeing. As well as looking out for one another, employee support resources are available including self-referral to the new Grampian Psychological Resilience Hub through the NHS Grampian COVID-19 website.
Staff testing – NHS staff have been given access to testing for coronavirus. The aim of key worker testing is to protect service critical function. Staff can request testing if they meet eligibility criteria and will be offered an appointment to attend a Moray testing location.
Assessment hub – The Grampian COVID-19 Assessment Hub is now live. It will handle calls triaged initially through NHS 24s 111 phone line from members of the public who are experiencing ongoing symptoms of coronavirus and may need further advice and assessment.
As well as providing information and reassurance, the 24/7 Hub will facilitate mainly virtual consultations using NHS Near Me and face-to-face scheduled consultations for those individuals who may need further clinical assessment. These people will be seen in dedicated hubs in Elgin or Aberdeen, meaning both GP and hospital resources can focus on managing patients with other health conditions. Currently the virtual triage is working exceptionally well, with low foot fall for face-to-face, further protecting the public and professionals.
The Elgin Assessment Hub is co-located with GMED out of hours’ services and the Moray Community Response Team which is being stepped up to manage the health and care needs of people at the end of life who remain at home.
Delayed discharges – A key priority is to free up NHS hospital beds and work is happening at pace to bring delayed discharge down to zero. The Moray number reported on 8 April was 13.
An Enhanced Discharge Hub supported by members of the Hospital Discharge, Reablement, Care at Home and Commissioning teams is enabling and supporting discharge to care homes across Moray and to the temporary Duffus Wing at Spynie Care Home in Elgin. The residential social care wing has been opened by Health & Social Care Moray utilising staff redeployed from internal services and from external providers. It will support individuals who are not ready to go straight home but no longer require a hospital bed.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – Updated national guidance on the use of PPE was published on 2 April and issued to staff. This is designed to improve the levels of safety for both health and social care staff in a variety of settings and for individuals at the highest level of risk from coronavirus.
There continue to be concerns from teams over the availability of PPE and we are working hard to increase stocks through the separate local authority and NHS supply routes.
External providers – We are working closely with all our external service providers to provide guidance on infection control, build on their business continuity arrangements and ensure the continuation of essential services. In line with internal services, external providers are required to adhere to the national guidance on the use of PPE which is being distributed through the local authority route.
Grampian Humanitarian Assistance Centre (HAC) – The HAC has been established to coordinate resilience partnership, third sector and community resources for people on the shielded patients list (the extremely vulnerable who are at higher risk) and for members of the wider public who are experiencing difficulties.
The HAC went live on 30 March and in its first week offered help and support to over 600 people across Grampian. Over 1,200 individuals, 475 community groups and 30 businesses registered to support people in need.
Anyone can ask for help and support, even if it is on behalf of someone else. Visit www.GCAH.org.uk or call freephone 0808 196 3384 (8am-8pm 7 days a week).
