Key contacts:

Anna Raleigh - Director of Public Health

Hannah Clubb - Head of Communications

Martin Funnell – Resilience and Emergencies

Latest national guidance

The UK has now moved from the contain phase to the delay phase and the UK Chief Medical Officers have now raised the risk from coronavirus (COVID-19) from moderate to high. The latest advice and information is available on the Government website.

Contact tracing and active monitoring of certain cases has stopped and there is a move away from routine testing of individuals. Surveillance will now be via GP Sentinel practices and hospital reporting.

The situation in West Sussex

We are reviewing the fast-changing situation and updating local information on the West Sussex County Council website as soon we have updates to share.

The number of cases in the county is now reported as nine.

The number of cases in the UK will be reported daily by the Chief Medical Officer.

WSCC continues to work together with partners including Public Health England (PHE) to monitor and ensure preparedness for a variety of scenarios. 

Latest actions

- With the exception of Cabinet, meetings of council members will be suspended until the end of April. The position beyond April will be reviewed over the next few weeks.

- West Sussex library services and the Record Office are temporarily closed, but our registration services that operate from these buildings will remain open.

Protecting vulnerable people

Guidance on residential care, supported living and home care guidance is available online.

WSCC is working with PHE and local health providers to reassure the public and share the latest information and guidance with older residents and providers of residential care, supported living and home care.

Monitoring and ensuring preparedness

Internal Groups:

 - A Strategic Management Co-ordination Group (SMG) is meeting weekly to provide corporate oversight to WSCC’s response

 - A Tactical Management Group (TMG) is meeting regularly to progress business continuity planning

 - Functional Teams have also been formed underneath the TMG to deliver and implement various business continuity plans

Pan Sussex and South East Systems Governance:

 - A daily South East NHS England/Improvement (NHSE/I), Integrated Care System (ICS), and Directors of Public Health (DsPH) teleconference

 - A weekly Local Resilience Forum Strategic Group has been formed

Communications

- WSCC is closely monitoring updates provided by DHSC, PHE, NHSE/I, Resilience Direct, etc., in relation to the national and regional situation

- Internal communications shared with all employees, members and stakeholders to provide information and offer reassurance around preparedness

- WSCC is sharing communications to county council staff and members with District and Borough councils.

- WSCC is sharing Government updates with residents and businesses via its social media channels and eNewsletters

- Public Health posters with hygiene advice have been placed in all council buildings

- Banners have been placed in all key reception areas at county, district and borough buildings.

If you have any queries, please email publichealth@westsussex.gov.uk.

Media handling

If you receive any requests for interviews or comment, we would be very grateful if you could direct journalists to the WSCC Press Office.

The team are now part of a pan-Sussex communications cell.

Key sources of information:

WSCC website

WSCC social media  - Twitter and Facebook

Government’s coronavirus website

Latest Government advice

If you show symptoms of COVID-19, you should self-isolate for seven days and any individuals in your household should self-isolate for 14 days from that moment as well.

If other members of your household develop symptoms, however mild, at any time during the 14 days, they must not they must not leave the home for seven days from when symptoms started.

If you are self-isolating, stay at home and avoid all but essential contact with others for seven days from the point mild symptoms first display.

You do not need to call NHS 111 to go into self-isolation.

If your symptoms worsen during home isolation or are no better after seven days, contact NHS 111 online at 111.nhs.uk. If you have no internet access, you should call NHS 111. For a medical emergency dial 999.

The symptoms are:

 - A high temperature  

 - A new, continuous cough

Everyone should avoid gatherings with friends and family, as well as large gatherings and crowded places, such as pubs, clubs and theatres.

People should avoid non-essential travel and work from home if they can and no longer make any unnecessary visits to friends and relatives in care homes.

People who should be limiting their social contact are:

 - People over the age of 70

 - Other adults who would normally be advised to have the flu vaccine (such as those with chronic diseases)

 - Pregnant women

Guidance is available on social distancing to help protect older people and vulnerable adults. 

Schools

The latest advice is that schools are to remain open unless they are instructed otherwise by PHE.

We are working with PHE, and the Department of Health & Social Care to respond as needed. Should the Government’s position change, we will communicate with schools and associated stakeholders.

The West Sussex County Council website contains all the latest information.

West Sussex Governance

Different services and government agencies remain responsible for leading different parts of our response to the situation:

Department for Health & Social Care (DHSC): The Chief Medical Officer for England confirms each incident

Public Health England (PHE): co-ordinates the response, information and advice on the virus

NHS: local and national NHS services are working on the front line to test individuals, and provide advice through their website and NHS 111

West Sussex County Council (WSCC): provides local public health leadership by working in partnership to safeguard the county.  We are working with system partners via the Local Health Resilience Partnership (LHRP) and the Local Resilience Forum (LRF) to ensure appropriate application of the Sussex pandemic Plan.

Business continuity

- A Sussex Resilience Forum / Local Health Resilience Partnership joint emergency planning event was held on 13 March

- WSCC internal emergency planning event is being planned

- WSCC is monitoring and amending  its Business Continuity Plans with regard to potential issues, should the situation escalate, and if impacts are seen within our organisation

- The WSCC Pandemic Contingency Plan has been reviewed and also the Emergency Situation Policy is now active

- WSCC has also reviewed the Sussex Resilience Forum Pandemic Influenza Plan and this remains in a state of readiness should the situation escalate.