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Meeting Details

Emergencies Board
24 Apr 2020 - 15:00 to 17:00
Occurred
  • Documents
  • Attendance
  • Visitors
  • Declarations of Interests

Documents

Agenda

Agenda
Notification
Recording of Emergencies Board Meeting: 24 April 2020
Chair
Councillor McGurk, Convener, presided.
In Attendance
S Black, Chief Executive; S Quinn, Director of Children's Services; M Crearie, Director of Communities, Housing & Planning Services; G McNeil, Director of Environment & Infrastructure; A Russell, Director of Finance & Resources; L McIntyre, Head of Policy & Commissioning, L Mahon, Head of Communications & Marketing and P Fara, Web and Multi-media Editor (all Chief Executive's); J Trainer, Head of Childcare & Criminal Justice and Chief Social Work Officer (Children's Services); O Reid, Head of Communities & Public Protection and C Dalrymple, Communities & Regulatory Manager (both Communities, Housing & Planning Services); K Graham, Head of Corporate Governance, L Neary, Head of Transformation, HR & OD, M Conaghan, Legal & Democratic Services Manager and D Low, Democratic Services Manager (all Finance & Resources); D Leese, Chief Officer and S Strachan, Acting Head of Health & Social Care (Paisley) (both Renfrewshire Health & Social Care Partnership); V Hollows, Chief Executive (Renfrewshire Leisure); and D Mair, Civil Contingencies Officer, Civil Contingencies Service.
Standard Items
Recording of Meeting
This meeting will be recorded for subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site. If you have any queries regarding this please contact Committee Services on 07534 058160.  To find the recording please follow the link which will be attached to this agenda once the meeting has concluded.  Please note that only meetings of the Emergencies Board from 17 April 2020 onward have been recorded for broadcast.
Prior to the commencement of the meeting the Convener intimated that this meeting of the Board would be recorded and that the recording would be available to watch on the Council's website.
Apologies
Apologies from members.
Declarations of Interest
Members are asked to declare an interest in any item(s) on the agenda and to provide a brief explanation of the nature of the interest.
Councillor Campbell declared an interest in item 2 on the agenda as she was an employee of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde but not in the Council's area and intimated that she would remain in the meeting during consideration of the item.
Items Of Business
Minute of meeting of the Emergencies Board held on 17 April 2020.
  1. pdf min170420 (178Kb)
1
There was submitted the Minute of the meeting of the Board held on 17 April 2020. 

DECIDED: That the Minute be approved.
.
2(a)

There was submitted a report by the Chief Executive relative to the Council’s current arrangements and response to the ongoing international Coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic. 

The report provided an update on the numbers of cases and deaths at both Scottish and UK levels and noted the publication of figures and analysis from the National Records of Scotland which showed that as at 19 April 2020, there had been a total of 1,616 deaths registered in Scotland where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death
certificate. (The figure for hospital deaths reported at that time was 903). The death registration statistics also revealed that of the total number of deaths registered between 13 to 19 April there were 651 where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, 34% of the total; that this was an increase of 41 from the previous week 6 April to 12 April; that 33% of COVID-19 deaths registered to date related to deaths in care homes; that 56% of deaths were in hospitals and 10% of deaths were at home or in non-institutional settings; and that 74% of all deaths involving COVID-19 to date were of people aged 75 or over. 

Nationally, it was noted that when the report had been prepared there were 138,078 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in hospitals in the UK, up from 103,093 reported on 17 April 2020. There had been 18,738 deaths in hospitals across the UK (up from 13,729 in the last report). In Scotland there were now 9,409 confirmed hospital cases (up from 7,102) and 1,120 deaths (up from 779). Of these, 2,250 cases were within the Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board area (up from 1,742). In GGCHB area there were 564 people in hospital (down from 606) and 49 in intensive care (down from 70) as either confirmed or suspected cases.

The report highlighted a strategy paper released by the Scottish Government which set out a proposed approach to be followed to ease restrictions following the current period of lockdown. The Council had already started considering the longer-term impact of the virus pandemic on services and service provision across the Council and on how the Council could continue to support communities and protect vulnerable residents as the lockdown period was eased in some aspects. The information that was presented on 23 April 2020 and the associated strategy paper would be factored into this exercise and further information on proposals for recovery would be brought back to future meetings of the Emergencies Board.

The Director of Finance & Resources was invited to provide a commentary on the financial update that had been set out in the report.  He advised that the COVID-19 pandemic had now become an economic crisis as well as a health crisis. He outlined the State of the Economy update provided by the Chief Economist to the Scottish Government which had set out an expected 33% reduction in economic output as well as the significant costs associated with governmental economic intervention and the impact of this on local finances.  Economic recovery remained uncertain for a number of reasons which were detailed in the report and the national economy and public finances would be placed under a new level of strain, pressure and uncertainty, at both a UK and Scottish level.

The report detailed the additional financial support that had been made available to public services in Scotland including: the provision of a financial assurance by the Scottish Government in relation to additional spend being incurred by IJB’s; similar funding assurances for Local Government which had been agreed between the Scottish Government and COSLA; and the provision to the Council of just under £3.5 million by the Scottish Government to support the Council’s response to the pandemic.  It was anticipated that further financial assistance would be provided to Scottish local authorities through the redistribution of an estimated £155 million allocated to the Scottish Government as a Barnet formula consequential. Council officers were in the process of completing a template form which would detail the additional costs incurred by the Council arising from the pandemic for submission to the Scottish Government. An overview of the submission from the Council will be provided to the board next week with future appropriate reporting cycles receiving updates in line with the proposed two-weekly update arrangements agreed with COSLA.

The Acting Head of Health & Social Care (Paisley) (Renfrewshire Health & Social Care Partnership) was invited to provide an update in relation to the impact of COVID-19 on care homes in Renfrewshire.  She advised that the three care homes and the four extra care units operated by the HSCP had no reported COVID-19 related symptoms or related deaths. Of the 22 care homes in Renfrewshire, 10 were self-reporting residents with COVID-19 related symptoms and COVID-19 related deaths.

The Head of Policy & Commissioning was invited to provide an update on support for shielded residents and the creation of virtual neighbourhood hubs. Along with its key partners, through the virtual hubs, the Council would work to meet emerging local needs such as providing very localised support around shopping, food provision, digital access and health and wellbeing. Volunteers to support the neighbourhood hubs would be recruited in partnership with Engage Renfrewshire, from the Renfrewshire Volunteer Reserve Bank.

The Head of Childcare & Criminal Justice and Chief Social Work Officer provided comments on the decision by the Scottish Government to release some prisoners early. Only prisoners serving a sentence of less than 18 months and in the last three months of their time in custody would be considered for early release. Prisoners convicted for sexual, domestic violence or terrorism offences and those who had a supervision order imposed as part of their sentence would not be considered for early release. 

The Chief Officer, Renfrewshire Health & Social Care Partnership, updated members on the provision of PPE and advised that the process for allocating such equipment had been streamlined. Testing for COVID-19 for staff had been rolled out and now included residential and nursing care home staff and critical Council staff.    

DECIDED

(a) That the current national and local situation with regards to COVID-19 and the impact on communities, businesses and the Council and its partners be noted; and

(b) That the response measures being put in place by the Council and partners as set out in the report be noted.

Report by Chief Executive.
Report by Chief Executive, Renfrewshire Leisure 
2(b)
There was submitted a report by the Chief Executive, Renfrewshire Leisure, providing an overview of Renfrewshire Leisure’s community-focused support in response to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The report highlighted the continuity of provision for sport and health services including online health & wellbeing classes including services for those with underlying health conditions; sport services for children and young people through the Renfrewshire Active Schools programme; and the Sporting Memories Dementia Group.

The report outlined the role of the Museum Project in the recovery process with an increased focus on health & wellbeing, inclusion, co-production and learning.  Two strands of project work were emerging from this adapted approach: Listening (building community, connections, relationships) and Creating (promoting sense of worth, identity, empowerment).

The report intimated that there had been a 72% increase in the use of Libraries ebook and magazine loans and the Chief Executive, Renfrewshire Leisure, outlined a number of increased pressures Renfrewshire Leisure was addressing.

DECIDED:

(a) That the work being delivered by Renfrewshire Leisure to support the health and wellbeing of local people, both in terms of the immediate restrictions faced by communities and through the anticipated, longer-term recovery period be noted; and

(b) That Renfrewshire Leisure's plans to expand this work in collaboration with the volunteer response hubs being established by the Council and partners be noted.
3
It was noted that there were no items for decision by the Board.
EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC
The Board may by resolution exclude the press and public from the meeting during consideration of the following items of business as it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that if members of the press and public are present, there could be disclosure to them of exempt information.
The Board resolved to exclude the press and public from the meeting during consideration of the following item of business as it was likely in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that if members of the press and public were present, there could be disclosure to them of confidential information.
4 Confidential Updates

Attendance

Name
No other member attendance information has been recorded for the meeting.
NameReason for Sending ApologySubstituted By
No apology information has been recorded for the meeting.
NameReason for AbsenceSubstituted By
No absentee information has been recorded for the meeting.

Declarations of Interests

Member NameItem Ref.DetailsNature of DeclarationAction
No declarations of interest have been entered for this meeting.

Visitors

Visitor Information is not yet available for this meeting