NORTH YORKSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
22 February 2023
STATEMENT OF COUNTY COUNCILLOR MICHAEL HARRISON
Covid-19 Memorials
A new tree trail is being introduced across North Yorkshire to act as a lasting memorial to all those who lost their lives during the Covid-19 pandemic and to thank people for contributing so much.
Led by colleagues in health and adult services, eight trees are being planted across the county, including at County Hall, and the tree-planting ceremonies will be attended by colleagues from across the county, district and borough councils, the voluntary and community sector, housing and care providers and the NHS. More than 1,700 people have lost their lives linked to the Covid-19 pandemic in North Yorkshire, according to the latest data from the Government.
Care Quality Commission (CQC) Assurance
The CQC have recently published a final draft of the social care Single Assessment Assurance Framework for Local Authorities. The emerging framework has been established to measure the progress of councils against the social care reforms proposed by the government over the last two years and will initially cover 4 key areas: working with people, providing support, ensuring safety and leadership.
Inspections will begin in 2023 and a quarterly self-assessment process has begun, mapping data and evidence from colleagues, partners & people who use our services to identify both areas of best practice as well as areas for potential improvement against the CQC standards.
An important part of this new inspection regime will be the feedback CQC receive from people who use our services, their families and carers, the people who work in adult social care and the partner organisations we work with across the county.
Health Protection
Rates of Covid-19, influenza, and scarlet fever/group A streptococcus (GAS) have all decreased since the end of December. The latest ONS survey data estimates that 1 in 40 people across England had COVID-19 in the week ending 10th January (still high, but a decrease from 1 in 20 people at the December peak). We continue to monitor care settings for outbreaks of flu, norovirus and COVID-19, providing support where necessary.
NHS & Social Care Integration
The council continues to build strong relationships with the Integrated Care Systems that exist in North Yorkshire. A new approach to supporting and delivering health and care is emerging through the creation of ‘local care partnerships’ to better manage priorities and the delivery of change and transformation. These will be shaped by local population health and care needs, existing or emerging joint working arrangements and local priorities. Four priorities have been defined where joint, system working is expected to improve delivery – these are Integrated Care, a Strong Care Market, a Strong Workforce and Prevention & Health Inequalities. They will provide a good basis for the prioritisation of work and resources, sharing of good practice and learning, and give visibility to delivery across such a broad geographic and demographic area.
COUNTY COUNCILLOR MICHAEL HARRISON