1
The Clerk submitted a report providing an update on the current position following the emergence of a new variant of coronavirus, Omicron, in November 2021, which with very high transmission rates had already become the dominant variant of COVID-19 within Scotland.
The report sought delegated authority to the Interim Chief Officer, in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair of the Integration Joint Board (IJB), to make urgent decisions where those decisions could not wait until the next scheduled meeting of the IJB to ensure that Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) could take swift action to respond to the rapidly changing position.
The report intimated that the HSCP was continuing to deploy resources to where they were needed most, taking an informed, risk-assessed approach which could flex and adapt to changing circumstances and detailed the immediate priorities. The report noted that governance arrangements had been reviewed to ensure the IJB could respond to evolving circumstances.
DECIDED:
(a) That the existing situation with regard to the impact of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 on services provided by Renfrewshire HSCP be noted;
(b) That, as a temporary measure, the Interim Chief Officer, in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair of the IJB, be authorised to make urgent decisions, where necessary, arising from the impact of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 that required to be taken prior to the next meeting of the IJB, including on the temporary suspension of services and/or the redeployment of staff from areas to maintain service provision in priority areas; and
(c) That it be agreed that a report would be brought to the next scheduled meeting of the IJB on 28 January 2022 setting out the decisions taken by the Interim Chief Officer under the delegated powers authorised in this report.