South Tyneside COVID 19 Leadership Board: Terms of reference

18th March 2021

Published on

18th March 2021

Plan approved by COVID-19 Leadership Board on

Background

As part of the Covid 19 recovery strategy the Government has instructed Local Councils to develop an outbreak management plan to support the NHS Test and Trace process. The Local Covid 19 outbreak management plan will respond to outbreaks within complex settings, notified to the Council through the local Health Protection escalation process via an alert system into the single point of contact email address: covid@southtyneside.gov.uk alongside notification to the Director of Public Health.

These terms of reference outline the leadership responsibilities of South Tyneside, led by Council supported by its partners in the ensuring South Tyneside residents carry out their civic duty, to comply with the rules in response to tackling this pandemic.

Public Health England (PHE)

PHE is responsible for the overall leadership and coordination of the health protection response to individual cases and outbreaks of Covid 19.

Director of Public Health

Under Section 30 of the Health and Social Care Act (2012) [Section 30] the Director of Public Health (DPH) is responsible for the LA contribution to health protection, including planning for and responding to incidents that present a threat to the public’s health eg Covid 19.

Other DPH functions relevant to communicable disease management include:

“be the person who elected members and senior officers look to for leadership, expertise and advice on a range of issues, from outbreaks of disease and emergency preparedness through to improving local people’s health and concerns around access to health services”

Environmental Health Team

The local authority environmental health team have a key role in the investigation of the source of infection in relation to both individual cases, and outbreaks, of notifiable diseases. They also have a role in relation to securing improvements if the LA is the enforcing authority. This role is carried out in liaison with Public Health England, and where appropriate, the Director of Public Health.

Covid 19 Outbreak Management Plan

The Covid 19 outbreak management plan is developed using 7 key elements, which identify key groups that are at increased risk to be the source of an outbreak such as schools, care homes and workplaces, therefore other colleagues across the Council, and the wider infection prevention control system will form part of the management board to provide their expertise to support the advice, planning and actions needed to develop and implement the outbreak management plan, and to provide information, advice and guidance to the operational outbreak control team(s).

Purpose

The purpose of the Covid 19 Leadership Board is to work with the local population to ease lockdown measures to enable a bit more freedom, while working with the residents to fulfil their civic duty complying with the rules, and preventing a second wave. To develop strategic Communication plan to provide high level messages for the public to follow social distancing and comply with Civic Duty.

Aim

To engage the local population to understand and follow the rules to prevent a second wave of Covid 19 and further lockdown in South Tyneside. The Leadership Board will monitor the implementation of the outbreak management plan, seeking assurance on behalf of the system and sharing messages with the stakeholder and local population.

Objectives

The Leadership Board will provide key strategic messages to the residents of South Tyneside to ensure maximum public engagement with the Covid 19 recovery plan. This will involve identifying a clear communication plan to motivate the residents of south Tyneside to actively engage with the NHS Test and Trace approach, self-isolating when symptomatic, accessing a test and providing relevant information to enable contact tracing to occur.

The Leadership Board will also promote social distancing measures as much as possible as a way to prevent a second wave and lockdown measures.

The Leadership Board will receive regular updates from the management board regarding latest outbreaks and key lessons learnt to inform the messages that need to be given out the public, to ensure compliance is achieved and future outbreaks are minimised.

Membership

Cllr Tracey Dixon

Leader of the Council, South Tyneside Council

Matthew Walmsley

Chair of STCGG, ST Clinical Commissioning Group

Cllr Joan Atkinson

Deputy Leader, South Tyneside Council

George Mansbridge

Corporate Director Regeneration & Environment, South Tyneside Council

Tom Hall

Director of Public Health, South Tyneside Council

Vicki Pattinson

Interim Director of Adult Services, South Tyneside Council

Matt Brown

Executive Director of Operations, ST Clinical Commissioning Group

Beverley Scanlon

Head of Learning & Early Help, South Tyneside Council

Sean Fenwick

Director of Operations, ST and Sunderland NHS FT

Cllr Anne Hetherington

Lead Member, South Tyneside Council

Dave Julien

Clinical Director, NHS South Tyneside CCG

Lorraine Nelson

Divisional Director, Sunderland City Hospital

Dr Gayle Dolan

Consultant in Communicable Disease Control, Public Health England

Hayley Johnson

Corporate Lead – Strategy & Performance, South Tyneside Council

Sarah Pitt

Chief Superintendent Area Commander, Northumbria Police

Paula Phillips

Service Lead Public Health, South Tyneside Council

Natalie Johnson

Senior Press Officer, South Tyneside Council

Frequency

The Leadership Board will initially meet fortnightly until the plan is agreed, and then will meet monthly.

Governance

The Leadership Board will report progress and any areas for discussion to the Health and Wellbeing Board, along with establishing clear lines for communication into the regional oversight Group.

The North East Regional oversight group will be supported by Diana Terris who will act as the Regional Conveyor along with two other support staff, linking to LRF/SCG and Public Health regionally.

The North East Regional group will consist of the following members:

Diana Terris

Regional Conveyor

Terry Collins

Durham County Council Chief Executive

Tony Parkinson

Middlesbrough Council Chief Executive

Peter Kelly

Public Health England Regional Director DPH

Amanda Healy

Durham County Council Regional DPH Lead

Regional DAS and ICP members to be identified

Governance structure