·          STW Winter Plan - Draft

Gareth Wright, Deputy Director of Ops - Urgent & Emergency Care / EPRR, NHS STW

·          Vaccination Improvement Plan

Rachel Robinson, Executive Director – Public Health (DPH), Shropshire Council
Vanessa Whatley, Chief Nursing Officer, NHS STW,

Anne-Marie Speke, Head of Service Healthy Population, Shropshire Council

·          Winter wellbeing support – inc. Cost of Living

Amanda Cheeseman, PH Development Officer, Shropshire Council

The board would welcome an open conversation regarding partner’s activity around winter preparedness and wellbeing support

 STW Winter Plan – Draft

Gareth Wright, the Head of Clinical Operations, NHS STW introduced and amplified his report which updated the Board on planning for winter to date and sought approval of the winter plan.  The plan focussed on operational readiness, vaccination campaigns, contingency planning, and collaborative efforts across health and community partners to manage winter pressures.  It also included the completion of a modular build at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, integration of out-of-hospital community services, and changes to the single point of access contract to provide alternatives to emergency department attendance. These changes were designed to strengthen system resilience and would endure beyond the winter period.

A key focus was on managing the 'festive fortnight,' which included multiple long weekends, by ensuring adequate staffing and creating operational headroom before and after the holiday period. The plan involved phased responses, including decompression and recovery phases post-peak demand.

In response to a query, the Head of Clinical Operations explained that the winter plan had been assured by NHS England through a regional assurance visit and a stress test exercise involving all care systems across the region. The stress test simulated baseline, surge, and super surge pressures, including high respiratory illness and cold weather, and highlighted the need to revisit contingency plans for concurrent incidents such as flooding or IT outages.

A further query was raised in relation to respiratory illness being a critical winter pressure and whether there were any plans for a change or increase in communication around vaccination programmes.  In response, the Head of Clinical Operations explained that a system-wide communications campaign would be launched, focusing on informing the public about service options, the importance of vaccination, and promoting pharmacy and primary care as first points of contact. The campaign would use social media, radio, printed materials, and printed pharmacy bags to maximise reach.

Concerns were raised about rural pharmacy access and the need for extended pharmacy hours during winter. The Head of Clinical Operations committed to reviewing coverage, especially in rural areas, and to working with the chief pharmacist to address gaps. The importance of clear public messaging about where to access vaccinations was also emphasised.

In response to a query, the Director of Strategy and Partnerships reported that internal staff vaccination campaigns were scheduled to begin in October, led by the chief nurse, with peer vaccinators and board-level participation. The campaign aimed to maintain high staff vaccination rates, building on previous successes.

Vaccination Improvement plan

Rachel Robinson, the Executive Director for Public Health and Vanessa Watley the Chief Nursing Officer outlined the system's vaccination improvement plan, detailing efforts to increase uptake across all programmes, address inequalities, and enhance communications and outreach, particularly for at-risk and hard-to-reach groups.

The Executive Director for Public Health explained that the vaccination improvement plan was in draft and under ongoing discussion with NHS England. The plan aimed to improve uptake for all vaccination programmes, not just winter vaccines, and included a dashboard for monitoring progress. The plan also included a comprehensive communications and engagement strategy to disseminate key messages.

Data analysis had identified lower uptake among deprived and minority communities, those with chronic diseases, and specific age groups. The plan included targeted social media, pop-up clinics, and education initiatives to address barriers and improve access, with ongoing monitoring and adaptation based on feedback.

The team were awaiting confirmation of national funding to expand respiratory illness clinics, with system funding allocated to support practices regardless. Not all GP practices were participating in the COVID vaccination programme, so clear public information about available sites was a priority.

A comms toolkit for councillors was suggested along with targeted outreach to vulnerable groups, including those not on social media and those on low incomes.

Winter Wellbeing Support including cost of living

Amanda Cheeseman, the Public Health Development Officer and Hannah Thomas, the Community Wellbeing Team Manager presented Shropshire Council's winter well-being support initiatives, being provided by the Council in partnership with the voluntary and community sector, and included a range of support including a cost of living web page, welfare support, hardship grants, energy and fuel advice, food banks, warm spaces, and targeted outreach for high-risk groups such as ethnic minorities and farming communities.

In response to a query about how professionals as well as residents could access information about the support available, it was explained how efforts were being made to ensure information was accessible on the ground, through multiple channels, including hard copies distributed in community settings and pharmacies, resources were also available on the website.

It was agreed to try to integrate the winter well-being support with the broader 'Think' campaign, which promotes both health services and preventative support. It was agreed to further develop communications to highlight the range of available support, especially for those with chronic conditions and in rural areas.

The Community Wellbeing Team Manager explained that the outreach team was working to connect ground-level delivery with larger programmes, ensuring professionals were equipped to signpost residents effectively. It was suggested that town and parish councils be utilised to cascade consistent messages especially to those remote and hard-to-reach communities.  Local councillors were also another important resource for disseminating information.

RESOLVED:

•     The Board to note the draft SWT Winter plan in advance of approval by the ICB 
      Public Board;

•     All partners to promote vaccinations to maximise uptake;

•     All partners to share key cost of living communications when and where possible;

•     All partners to consider creating a cost-of-living section on their website which could
      link to Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin webpage or to other cost of living
      webpages (i.e. Citizens Advice Shropshire).