Venue: Via Microsoft Teams
No. | Item |
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Appointment of Chairperson and Vice Chairperson Minutes: It
was agreed that Councillor L.Purcell be appointed Chairperson and that
Councillor M.Harvey be appointed Vice Chairperson for this joint meeting. |
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Overview of the Regional Response to COVID Focused on Care Homes Minutes: The Joint Committee
received information on the Overview of the Regional Response to COVID 19
focussed on Care Homes, which was detailed in the circulated report collated by
Jack Straw, Independent Chair of the Health and Social Care Group, on behalf of
the Extraordinary Regional Partnership Board. An introduction was
provided by Andrew Jarrett, Director of Social Services, Health and Housing,
which included context and clarification on the different areas of
responsibility of the component parts of the Regional Partnership Board. It was
highlighted that the virus had a profound impact on the care homes, residents
and staff across the UK; 46 residents of Neath Port Talbot care homes had died,
including one member of staff. Members were informed
that now that the first surge had passed, the service area across the Swansea
Bay Region, wanted to make assurances that they had done what was needed and
required of them in terms of safeguarding care homes and that they would be
able to consider lessons learned which would help if a second surge was to
emerge. Very early on during the
pandemic, it was noted that an emergency response infrastructure was set up to
report to a gold command group, which Jack Straw was commissioned to Chair; the
emergency response infrastructure was also made up of the two Directors of
Social Services and the Executive Director of the Health Board. It was explained
that there were many groups who reported to the gold group including a silver
group, which looked at the operational details of the response across the
health and social care sector. It was added that the gold command group
reported to the Extraordinary Regional Partnership Board, which was set up as a
result of COVID 19. Members were informed
that the Regional Partnership Board was made up of three statutory partners,
the Health Board, Swansea Council and Neath Port Talbot Council, who were commissioned
to deliver the statutory service on an individual basis. It was noted that at
the beginning of the pandemic, the Extraordinary Regional Partnership Board was
set up with the three statutory partners, which meant that the general Regional
Partnership Board, made up of representatives from the third sector, carers,
patients, citizens and social landlords, did not take part in the decision
making process as it was suspended for the Extraordinary Regional Partnership
Board to move forward with the three statutory partners making the decisions. Officers clarified that
the Regional Partnership Board was set up to look at health and social care
across the Swansea Bay Region, the Extraordinary Regional Partnership Board
commissioned the circulated report and the West Glamorgan Partnership is the
general name for the region, over and above the health and social care area. It was added that the report was the first of its kind in Wales to critically look back as a region to the response to COVID 19 in care homes, however it was likely that there would be many more to come as there was a clear ... view the full minutes text for item 2. |