Agenda and draft minutes

Venue: Via Microsoft Teams

Items
No. Item

1.

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.

2.

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.