Coronavirus impacting on seasonal planning arrangements, CCG tells Health and Wellbeing Board

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Monday, 7 September 2020 19:16

By Keri Trigg - Local Democracy Reporter

NHS winter planning will be “significantly different” this year because of “uncertainty regarding how Covid-19 will behave” and how it can be accommodated alongside seasonal flu during the cold season, a health boss says.

NHS winter planning will be “significantly different” this year because of “uncertainty regarding how Covid-19 will behave” and how it can be accommodated alongside seasonal flu during the cold season, a health boss says.

Sam Tilley, the Director of Planning at the county’s clinical commissioning groups, writes that social distancing regulations and the need to use personal protective equipment will “reduce service delivery capacity”. 

But, in a report for the Telford and Wrekin Health and Wellbeing Board, she adds that the health system has learned lessons from the coronavirus pandemic and these can be applied to bring benefits over the winter, including a new focus on tackling health inequalities and supporting prevention and healthy lifestyles. 

Mrs Tilley writes: “In line with the usual NHS planning cycle, CCGs are currently working on their winter planning arrangements.

“This year, however, the context is different as a result of the proceeding and enduring Covid-19 pandemic and the impacts this has had on the NHS and its wider partners.

“Our usual planning arrangements will not apply in the same way this year for a number of reasons in the main related to the impact of the pandemic.”

These, she writes, include “a reduction in service delivery capacity due to social distancing requirements, PPE use, swabbing requirements, etc cetera”, “potential  and planning for a Covid-19 vaccination programme” and “uncertainty regarding how Covid-19 will behave in winter, [its] interrelationship with flu and a second wave”.

Mrs Tilley writes: “The challenges of restoration and recovery, of which winter planning forms an important part, are therefore significant this year.

“However, there are also benefits to be realised. There has been much Covid-19 specific learning which we are currently processing as a system and need to take with us into the next phase.”

She writes that these include “renewed attention on how we support good lifestyle choices” and the observation that “addressing health inequalities will be a key in assisting our population to access the healthcare they need”.

Mrs Tilley adds that there will be an “active communications programme” to support winter planning.

“There will be a need to keep the public informed of both the challenges faced by the system during winter, the plans in place to address these and the best way to access health and care support during this time,” she writes.

Titled “Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin CCGs Winter Planning”, the report will be discussed by the Health and Wellbeing Board when it meets remotely on Thursday, September 10.

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