Meeting documents

To receive the report.

The Board was given the latest information on the current rate of infection and welcomed the news that the 7-day rate was coming down. Public Health were currently dealing with 38 active outbreaks, were watching 279 and had closed 293 since the last report. The Board was updated on the five factors that would be used to determine the Tier allocated to Somerset when the current lockdown ends on 2 December.

The Somerset Health and Wellbeing Board:

·         Welcomed the update and the clarification around the Governments new Tier approach to the ongoing response to the Covid 19 Pandemic.

The Board was given the latest information on the current rate of infection and welcomed the news that the 7-day rate was coming down. Public Health were currently dealing with 38 active outbreaks, were watching 279 and had closed 293 since the last report. The Board was updated on the five factors that would be used to determine the Tier allocated to Somerset when the current lockdown ends on 2 December. These are: -

·         Case detection rate (in all age groups and, in particular, amongst the over 60s);

·         How quickly case rates are rising or falling;

·         Positivity in the general population;

·         Pressure on the NHS – including current and projected (3-4 weeks out) NHS capacity – including admissions, general/acute/ICU bed occupancy, staff absences; and

·         Local context and exceptional circumstances such as a local but contained outbreak.

During the meeting it was announced by Central Government that Somerset would be in Tier 2 once the current restrictions were lifted on 02 December.

There was some discussion around the need to recognise that Somerset was among the lowest in the country for the number of hospital beds and intensive care beds. This has contributed to the decision to put Somerset in Tier 2. There has been a considerable amount of work carried out to help people stay well and stay at home which has increased the number of available beds but that is not enough to amend the decision to place Somerset in Tier 2.

The Somerset Health and Wellbeing Board:

·         Welcomed the update and the clarification around the Governments new Tier approach to the ongoing response to the Covid 19 Pandemic.