Agenda item

Mike Smith asked the Executive Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Services the following question:

 

Question

Prevention and treatment services for non-communicable diseases have been severely disrupted during the pandemic. In addition, many people have been skipping tests and check-ups as well as not contacting health services from fear of infection.

 

Are there any groups that WBC has identified that appear to be particularly ‘hard to reach’ with public health messaging about the importance of getting tests and treatments and, if so, what additional action could be taken to reach out to these vulnerable groups? 

Minutes:

 

Question

Prevention and treatment services for non-communicable diseases have been severely disrupted during the pandemic. In addition, many people have been skipping tests and check-ups as well as not contacting health services from fear of infection.

 

Are there any groups that WBC has identified that appear to be particularly ‘hard to reach’ with public health messaging about the importance of getting tests and treatments and, if so, what additional action could be taken to reach out to these vulnerable groups? 

 

Answer

I would say to you and to anyone else who is listening to this that it is very important that all residents of Wokingham continue to access routine healthcare and screening appointments as well as seeking medical care for new and concerning symptoms.  We will all be widely aware basically of the continual media stories about illnesses not being diagnosed and cancer cases being taken late because of people not going to GPs and seeking treatment.  GPs are open and I would encourage everybody to use them.  To promote this message the Public Health Team at Wokingham Borough Council have been working on a health promotion campaign which is very much along the lines of ‘healthcare as usual’ as a core message.

 

This campaign focuses on four main areas; childhood vaccinations, routine screening (for breast, cervical, bowel cancers, pregnancy and newborn babies), seeking help for concerning symptoms and asking for help with mental health issues; which obviously relates to the question I just answered.  These public health messages will be disseminated over the coming weeks through a variety of channels via social media, email, newsletters to residents and the WBC Housing Magazine. 

 

In addition there is an active involvement of the WBC Public Health Team in both regional and local work around health and wellbeing in the recovery phase of the Covid pandemic.  This work will provide early insight into groups that have been particularly disadvantaged with regard to accessing routine healthcare during the pandemic and allow us to work effectively to address these issues.

 

Supplementary Question

I am encouraged to hear all the efforts being put in but I am slightly dismayed that a lot of it is very much using the digital approach.  I have got an 86 year old Mother in Law.  She does not have e-mail and she cannot use a mobile phone.  She is pretty much housebound due to mobility issues.  Yes she has medical care which is great but I am not sure how the messages would get to her and people in a similar situation of which I suspect there are many in Wokingham?

 

Supplementary Answer

I think basically there are several answers to that question.  I did mention digital answers and obviously in the time of Covid it is impossible to send people out physically to check up on these things.  I also mentioned the WBC Housing Magazine which obviously arrives in the post and I refer you to the answer that came up in my previous question which is that throughout the Covid pandemic the WBC Adult Services Team has been regularly ringing people who are in need or classified as vulnerable or shielding to check on their wellbeing, basically to address any issues and to try and find resolutions and provide support and the statistics for that were in my last answer.  4,700 people we were ringing and many thousands of phone calls and the aim of that is to try and reach people like your Mother in Law and people who may need our help.