Decision details

The Director of Public Health submitted a report outlining what ‘Living with Covid-19’ meant for Leeds, and which sought the Board’s support for continuing to promote safer behaviour messaging and the Covid vaccination programme in communities. The report also highlighted the robust and resilient plans and systems in place to protect the highest risk settings and groups from the impact of Covid, and the structures that were in place to respond to any change in circumstances.

Members received an introduction to the report which provided an overview of the key points, with it being noted that work continued on the preparation and management of winter pressures in this area.

Responding to a Member’s comments regarding the Council’s post-pandemic ways of working and the need to ensure that customer facing roles continued, it was highlighted that many services across the Council continued to be delivered in person. Further to this, the Board was assured that work continued in liaison with Scrutiny on this matter, with a view to submitting a related report to a future Executive Board.

Emphasis was placed upon the need to ensure that the impact of the pandemic on young people remained a priority. In response, assurance was provided that this was the case and it was noted that this would be further addressed in the subsequent agenda item (Leeds – A Mentally Healthy City: Update Report). Further to this, assurance was provided that a key principle to the approach taken remained the need to strike the correct balance between minimising the risk from the virus and infection whilst at the same time looking to preserve an individual’s overall wellbeing. 

Tribute was paid to the Director of Public Health and her team for the work which had been undertaken throughout the pandemic to the present day. Emphasis was placed upon the importance of the work undertaken by the Leeds Health Protection Board together with the guiding principles of that work, and how that had been used as a platform for the wider actions taken in response to the pandemic across the city.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the contents of the submitted report, be noted;

(b)  That the proposed approach for the Leeds system going forward, as set out in section 11 of the submitted report, be approved, which looks to ensure that people are supported as we move into ‘Living with Covid’.